Chapter 32

The press corps buzzed with anticipation. Dominic Reeves' confident declaration and Evelyn Carter's serene smile had lulled them into thinking this would be another predictable corporate reconciliation.

How wrong they were.

Evelyn had just publicly humiliated Dominic without raising her voice. Camera lenses swiveled violently between Dominic's rapidly paling face and Evelyn's unshakable composure. The contrast couldn't have been more striking.

"Ms. Carter, are you suggesting Vanessa Blake stole your work instead?" A journalist shouted over the growing murmur.

Evelyn's lips curved slightly. "Let me clarify terminology."

Her voice carried effortlessly across the room. "Plagiarism implies imitation. What we're discussing is outright theft - the appropriation of intellectual property with malicious intent."

The reporter blinked. "So... grand larceny of ideas?"

Evelyn merely arched an eyebrow.

Dominic's fist hit the podium. "Evelyn! Explain yourself!"

Veins stood out on his forehead. The man who'd orchestrated this press conference now looked ready to bolt from it. Yet Evelyn's gaze never wavered from the journalists, like a chess master surveying the board.

"Ms. Carter," challenged another reporter, "without employment contracts from DR Holdings, how can you prove you developed their flagship product?"

Vanessa chose that moment to intervene, her manicured nails digging into the microphone stand. "Are you accusing me of corporate espionage, Evelyn?"

The room held its breath.

Evelyn tilted her head. "Would you prefer I used softer language, Vanessa?"

Her delivery was devastating - honeyed words laced with arsenic. The press corps erupted, cameras flashing like lightning.

Vanessa's smile turned rigid. Beneath the professional veneer, fury radiated from every stiff movement. "Let's not speak in riddles. State your accusations plainly."

Every journalist leaned forward, recorders extended like weapons. This was the moment the corporate war would be declared in earnest.