Chapter 15

Lucille's high heels clicked sharply against the marble floors of the Watson residence. She shook off her dripping umbrella. The expensive silk scarf around her neck was soaked through and clinging uncomfortably to her skin. "Dad! What the hell is going on?" She burst into the study, her voice so shrill it nearly pierced through the sound of rain. Lucille's father, Andre Watson, slumped in his leather chair. The harsh glow of the laptop screen cast a ghostly hue over his face. He looked up, the dark circles under his eyes appearing especially ghastly under the lamp. "It's over... Everything's over. Hawke Corporation just pulled out of all our joint projects and our cash flow," he said, his trembling finger pointing at the screen. Lucille snatched the laptop away, the red numbers on the screen burning into her eyes. The Watson Group's stock had plummeted 67%, wiping out nearly two billion in market value. Her fingers frantically scrolled across the trackpad as termination emails