Chapter 11 - THE PRESS CONFERENCE.
Three days later, I stood before dozens of reporters in the Apex headquarters lobby.
My attorneys had advised me to remain silent.
My board had urged me to blame Natalie and protect the company.
Instead, I told the truth.
I explained my father’s theft.
I explained the stolen customer list.
I explained that I had unknowingly contacted clients using information connected to his former partner.
“I did not know where the list came from,” I said.
“But ignorance does not erase the benefit I received.”
Cameras flashed across the room.
“We have hired an independent accounting firm to determine whether Natalie Brooks’s father or his estate was financially harmed by Apex’s early contracts.”
“If money is owed, it will be paid.”
A reporter raised his hand.
“Are you admitting that Apex was founded through fraud?”
“No.”
“Apex was built through the labor of hundreds of people.”
“But our first opportunity may have been connected to wrongdoing.”
“I refuse to hide that fact.”
Another reporter shouted.
“Will you resign?”
“If the board decides my resignation protects our employees and clients, I will cooperate.”
Behind the cameras stood several members of my family.
Claire and David watched quietly.
Grandma Eleanor held her head high.
My mother had arrived wearing an expensive suit.
Before the conference, she had asked whether she could stand beside me.
She said the public needed to see a united family.
I refused.
The reporters continued asking questions.
Then a woman near the front raised her voice.
“Your mother publicly mocked you for cleaning toilets.”
“Do you believe her behavior reflects how society treats sanitation workers?”
I looked directly into the cameras.
“Yes.”
“People praise doctors while ignoring those who prevent hospital infections.”
“They admire executives while looking through the workers who clean their offices.”
“A job does not become respectable only when it creates wealth.”
“It is respectable when it serves people honestly.”
For the first time since the scandal began, the room fell silent.
That evening, the board voted unanimously for me to remain CEO.
But the personal consequences had only begun.
When I returned home, my mother was waiting outside.
She was holding a stack of magazines.
My face appeared on every cover.
She smiled proudly.
May you like
“My successful daughter,” she said.
I did not open the gate.
