The silence in the estate library was heavy as the interview ended.
Leo Croft, now twelve years old, sat in his grandfather’s wingback chair, watching the news feed on his laptop. The comments section was scrolling so fast it was a blur.
*”She’s reckless,”* one analyst posted.
*”She’s iconic,”* a young tech entrepreneur countered.
The hashtag **#TheMatriarch** began to trend, overtaking the negative press. The stock price, which had been in freefall, stabilized and ticked upward by a fraction of a point.
Leo closed the laptop. He looked at the screen where his stepmother was still holding the gaze of the nation. He saw the calculation behind the vulnerability. She hadn’t just defended herself; she had rebranded the entire dynasty in three minutes.
A slow, impressed smirk touched Leo’s lips.
“She plays the game better than you did, Grandfather,” Leo whispered to the empty room. “She turned the weakness into a weapon.”