The bomb didn’t wait until Monday.
William woke up on Sunday morning to a low, mechanical hum vibrating through the bedroom windows. He walked to the balcony and pulled back the heavy velvet curtains.
Down at the main gates of the estate, a circus had assembled. Satellite trucks with extended dishes were parked on the verge. Photographers were climbing the stone walls.
He picked up his tablet. The notification from *The Financial Journal* was already trending globally.
**BUMP IN THE ROAD: IS CROFT CEO UNFIT?**
The article, sourced from “insiders,” featured the photo Elias Graves had stolen–the prescription bottle of prenatal vitamins next to the Croft company seal. The text was brutal, questioning whether “hormonal instability” and “impending maternity leave” were behind the recent market volatility.
“They didn’t just leak it,” William muttered, reading the savage commentary. “They weaponized it.”