Chapter 32 Public Stand

By noon, the air in Ethan Reed’s downtown office was thick with tension. The glass walls did little to muffle the frenzy echoing through the halls, as Ethan’s PR team scrambled, phones glued to ears and screens flooded with breaking headlines. Every major outlet had picked up Chris Banning’s interview. Social media had turned into a battlefield, and Emily Turner was the target. Lana Hart, Ethan’s long-time PR head, was pacing across the sleek hardwood floor like a woman possessed. Her voice sliced through the room like a blade. “We have to respond. Now. Every minute of silence hands Chris more power.”