Mara opened the secure panel on her phone and prepared one action. She would disable a core feature briefly, then restore it. She wasn’t sure they hadn’t reset it, but she trusted her gut feeling. Her hand stayed steady because she had imagined this moment more times than she wanted to admit.
Ethan began his toast, and the room hushed. He looked happy, like the hero again. Sloane watched the crowd carefully, tracking who mattered. Ethan invited the acquirer’s CEO to join him for the ceremonial demo, and cameras rose like a row of eyes.