Chapter 34 - The Press Conference
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The launch of the foundation's national hotline drew unprecedented media attention. Evelyn had organized a press conference at the downtown headquarters to officially announce the initiative.
I stood off to the side of the stage, intentionally avoiding the cameras. My role was advisory; I had no desire to be the face of the movement.
Evelyn was fielding questions from a sea of reporters when a journalist from a notorious tabloid pushed his way to the front.
"Ms. Vance!" the reporter shouted aggressively. "Given the Mercer family's dark history with medical fraud and child exploitation, isn't it hypocritical that the Mercer trust is funding this hotline? Are you just trying to buy good PR to erase Nathan Mercer's crimes?"
The room fell dead silent. The tension spiked instantly.
Evelyn did not flinch. She leaned into the microphone, her eyes locking onto the reporter with the terrifying, predatory calm of a seasoned executive.
"The crimes of Nathan Mercer were exposed, prosecuted, and punished precisely because this family chose accountability over reputation," Evelyn stated, her voice slicing through the room like a scalpel. "The trust funds were not used to buy PR. They were legally restructured to ensure that the wealth built by this family is entirely dedicated to dismantling the very abuses Nathan perpetrated."
The reporter opened his mouth to argue, but Evelyn cut him off.
"We do not erase history, sir. We weaponize it for good. Next question."
I smiled from the shadows. Evelyn was a masterclass in controlled power.
After the conference, Noah walked up to me, handing me a bottle of water.
"She absolutely destroyed him," Noah laughed quietly.
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"She did," I agreed. "Never pick a fight with a woman who survived the Mercer boardroom and lived to tell the tale."
"Noted," Noah said, watching Evelyn expertly navigate the remaining press. "I'll make sure to stay on her good side."
