Chapter 170 Let's Have a Meeting
"His online name shouldn't be Boring, it should be Fraud!" Kevin exploded, slamming his fist on the table. "This whole mess has exposed every technical flaw in our platform. We look like amateurs, like a company run by clowns!"
"If we were publicly traded," he continued, his voice tight with frustration, "our stock would be in freefall! Our image has taken a nosedive, that's bad enough. But the real damage is the trust crisis."
He took a gulp of his coffee, the bitter taste mirroring his mood. "Our streamers trusted us, trusted Shark and our BitBonds. That's why they treated Boring like royalty! Lucas, our top streamer, sang his praises and ended up losing five million in giveaways!"
"And Stephanie," he added, his voice heavy with sympathy, "she's even worse off. Ten million, gone! She thought her popularity would skyrocket, that she'd make a fortune. Now it's all a cruel joke."
"Our streamers have been scammed, Kevin," Hilda interjected, her voice calm but firm. "They've lost money, reputation, everything. They've gone from feeling on top of the world to utter despair. And we, Shark, can't even compensate them. We don't have the funds to cover Boring and his posse of fake millionaires. We're talking billions!"
"They're angry, Kevin, and rightfully so," he continued. "This is unprecedented for us. The only way to quell this unrest is with money, and we simply don't have it. The damage to our image, the trust deficit, it's a nightmare."
Kevin ran a hand through his hair, his face etched with worry. "I know, Hilda, I know. It's just...infuriating! That scumbag Boring, if I ever get my hands on him..."
"He's despicable," someone else chimed in, the sentiment echoed by a chorus of angry voices.
"A criminal! He should be behind bars!"
"Pretending to be loaded when he hasn't got a penny to his name. Sick!"
"If I ever lay eyes on that idiot, I'll..."
The room buzzed with outrage, the executives' previous admiration for Boring now twisted into venomous hatred. Love had turned to loathing in the blink of an eye.
As the storm of indignation subsided, Kevin raised his hand for silence. "Hilda's right. We need to focus. This isn't just about Boring anymore. This impacts our negotiations with Penguin. They were ready to talk acquisition, a fantastic opportunity for Shark Live. Now? They think we're a joke. Our inflated asking price was bad enough, but this? They'll walk away, especially with LiveWave breathing down our necks."
He turned to Hilda, his expression pleading. "So, what do we do? We need a plan, and fast."
Hilda, his composure regained, met Kevin's gaze head-on. The business-savvy strategist was back, his mind already working on solutions.
"First things first," he stated, his voice steely. "We catch Boring. He's the root of this problem. Apprehending him won't just satisfy our need for justice, it'll send a message. We use every technological resource at our disposal to uncover his true identity and then we hand him over to the authorities. He will face the full force of the law."
His eyes glinted with hatred as he thought, 'And when he's behind bars, I'll make sure he regrets the day he ever messed with Shark Live.'
"Right!" someone exclaimed, galvanizing the room. "We can't let him get away with this! Catch him, make an example of him!"
"Catching Boring is about more than just retribution," another voice added. "It's about showing the world that Shark Live will not be taken advantage of."
"I have contacts, tech experts who can track down anyone online," another executive volunteered.
The room buzzed with renewed purpose, united in their determination to bring Boring to justice.
Kevin, however, frowned. "What about the others? It wasn't just Boring. There were dozens of them, hackers from DarkByte, exploiting our system, posing as high rollers, scamming our streamers. Are we just going to let them walk away?"
"We focus on the mastermind, let the pawns go," Hilda replied calmly.
"Why?" Kevin challenged.
"Most of them were in it for the laughs, the chaos," Hilda explained patiently. "They didn't commit any real financial fraud. Going after them will only breed resentment, turn the entire DarkByte community against us. And believe me, you do not want to be on the wrong side of those guys. They have friends in high places, especially within the Golden Valley hacker scene. One wrong move and they could cripple our servers, bring our entire operation to its knees."
He sighed, her expression weary. "It's not that I condone what they did, but we have to pick our battles. Making an example of Boring will be deterrent enough. Let's not create a bigger problem for ourselves."
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