Chapter 22: The Fallout Begins

The coffee shop felt like a sanctuary in the chaos, a small bubble of calm amid the storm raging outside. Jess worked furiously on her laptop, uploading files, sending emails, and making phone calls. Ava, Sara, and Ryan sat around her, watching anxiously as the news began to break. Ava could feel her heart pounding in her chest. Every second felt like an eternity. She kept glancing at the door, expecting Collins’s men to burst in at any moment. But she knew their real battle wasn’t here; it was out there, in the court of public opinion, where they would win or lose everything. Jess looked up from her laptop, her eyes bright with excitement. “It’s out,” she announced. “The story is live. We’ve sent it to every major news outlet, and it’s already trending on social media.” Sara let out a sigh of relief. “That’s good. The more people see it, the harder it will be for Collins to cover it up.” Ryan leaned forward, his voice urgent. “What’s the reaction so far?” Jess scrolled through he