The room broke into whispers. People leaned toward each other, legal teams already moving. Mara saw the difference immediately—some faces looked genuinely shocked, while others looked guilty, like they had feared this moment, and hoped it would never arrive. She understood who Sloane had quietly pulled into the rewrite.
The acquirer’s counsel stepped in fast. She touched the CEO’s sleeve and made a small hand gesture toward the signing table. It was not dramatic, but it was final. “Material risk,” she said, loud enough for the nearest people to hear. The signing stopped without anyone announcing it.