Chapter 302 58 Seconds
Emma ducked behind the champagne tower, feeling the pearl earrings on her earlobes warm up slightly.
Michael had given her the nano recording device, which was now converting the sound of George inputting the emergency termination code into a voiceprint key. As George's slender fingers hit the enter key with force, she mouthed silently, "That's the third firewall key, thanks."
Suddenly, the bulletproof glass shattered, shards raining down like a storm, piercing through the laughter and chatter. The crowd screamed in terror, scattering in all directions.
"Get down!" George's voice cut through the chaos as he quickly locked onto the pink diamond propelled by the explosion. The dazzling gem traced a graceful arc through the air, as if time had frozen, and everyone held their breath, eyes fixed on its trajectory.
"Emma, get down!" George's heart tightened as he saw the diamond about to hit the ground. Without hesitation, he lunged forward, reaching out to catch the symbol of glory and wealth.
Just as his hand extended, the diamond struck the floor with a crisp sound, shattering into pieces like a falling star. Blood seeped from the diamond's edges, staining the ground. It trickled down George's fingers, painting a hauntingly heart-wrenching scene.
"George!" Emma exclaimed, a few drops of blood splashing onto the tips of her high heels, instantly turning them red. Yet her gaze remained fixed on George.
"I'm fine," George gritted his teeth, enduring the pain, and turned to protectively pull Emma into his arms. His body acted as a fortress, shielding her from the flying debris and chaos around them.
"You're hurt!" Emma's voice trembled with emotion. Their plan with Michael had succeeded—they had stolen the information, and more importantly, she had managed to injure George without revealing her identity, leaving him humiliated.
At that moment, Emma longed to tell George the whole truth.
For instance, why she chose the 58-carat pink diamond.
Because three years ago, she had struggled in a fire for 58 seconds before being rescued.
The side door of the banquet hall slid open quietly, and George led Emma through the escape route, stepping over the projected codes on the floor. The urgent news alerts about "the Russell Group data breach" still echoed in her ears.
Taking advantage of George's distraction, she removed the pearl earring and tossed it into the trash. The nano camera hidden in her hair kept running. George would never suspect that the seemingly random light reflections contained financial loophole information encoded in Morse code.
In the top-floor office of the Russell Group headquarters, George stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the bustling city nightscape. His arm was still bandaged, and the cut on his face had yet to heal. His injured appearance did not evoke pity but added a touch of cold elegance.
At this moment, he had no interest in the dazzling lights, his mind weighed down by heavy pressure.
Since the key information leak at the press conference, the Russell Group's stock had plummeted like a kite with a broken string, partners had terminated contracts, and the company was in an unprecedented crisis.
"Mr. Russell, the stock price dropped again today, and we've lost contracts with three major partners," Joshua reported anxiously from behind him.
"I know," George's voice was low, his eyes reflecting fatigue and unease. He knew the situation was dire and a solution needed to be found quickly.
"Mr. Russell, the information leak was almost flawless. The tech, information, and security departments have found no leads," Joshua said, his voice filled with helplessness. "It seems the enemy knows our situation inside out. I suspect we have a mole."
"Never mind; keep looking," George said thoughtfully, staring out the window.
"Aren't you worried?" Joshua asked, his voice tinged with concern.
George forced a bitter smile, not answering. He already had his suspicions.
He thought to himself, 'Emma, is this your answer? Have you decided to side with Michael and stand against me?'
"Should we keep investigating?" Joshua pressed.
"We need to keep up appearances," George replied, causing Joshua to feel uneasy, as he too had an inkling of who the mole might be.
Just then, George's phone buzzed and interrupted his thoughts. The screen displayed a call from Scarlett. George hesitated but eventually answered.
"George, I heard the Russell Group is in bad shape."
"What do you want?" George responded coldly, his lack of patience with Scarlett.
"It has to be Isabella! The company never had issues before she arrived, and now we're in a crisis. The problem is definitely with her! George, stop hesitating and get rid of her."
"Is that all you wanted to say?" George's voice was devoid of warmth.
"There's more. George, the company needs money. If you divorce and marry the Baker family's daughter, they'll invest and help us through this."
"No need!" George's response was almost a growl.
Scarlett said, "Don't be so confident. The situation isn't something you can easily fix. Accept this proposal, and the Russell family will have a chance!"
"I'll handle it myself." George hung up without hesitation.
He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, then called for a high-level meeting to discuss their response.
In the conference room, George sat at the head of the table, surrounded by executives with grave expressions. Everyone knew the company was at a critical juncture.
"We need to take immediate action to mitigate the company's losses," George began, avoiding any mention of the leak. But others brought it up.
"Mr. Russell, who stole the data? Don't you owe us an explanation?" a board member demanded.
"The incident has happened. We should focus on communicating with partners to recover some losses," George replied.
"So, the leak just gets swept under the rug?" the board member pressed.
This question was a trap. No matter how George answered, it would reflect poorly on him.
If he said they wouldn't investigate, it would show irresponsibility. If he said they were still investigating with no results, it would indicate incompetence.
The question revealed the high-level dissatisfaction with George.
"Anyone dissatisfied with me can step forward now," George said coldly, scanning the room. No one moved, not even the board member who had challenged him.
"If no one steps forward, then the Russell Group is still under my command!" George slammed his files on the table. "I'll personally negotiate with our partners to restore cooperation."
With that, George left the room.
After he left, some executives sneered, "He has an ego the size of a planet. He couldn't even protect our core secrets. Damn it! Useless!"
"Enough, keep it down. He's still the CEO."
"Not for long! The Russell Group will change hands soon."
George's phone was nearly crushed in his grip.
The recent call with a partner's cold rejection echoed in his mind. "Mr. Russell, we're sorry, but the current situation forces us to reconsider our partnership. Your company's credibility is severely damaged, and we can't take the risk."
George replied, holding back his anger. "I understand, but please believe we're working hard to resolve the issue."
The call ended abruptly.
The Russell Group had long-standing partnerships with these companies. They wouldn't sever ties over one mistake unless someone orchestrated it.
George knew further attempts to contact them were futile.
This coordinated termination was meant to cripple the Russell Group and make him experience rejection.
"Mr. Russell, Zachary Baker from Auris Group just sent a message. He's willing to meet with you," Joshua announced, entering the office.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
