The city buzzed with early morning traffic, oblivious to the storm brewing behind Celeste's pristine glass towers.
Inside the executive boardroom of Celeste HQ, tension weighed heavier than the silence.
Liyana sat at the head of the long obsidian table. Her posture was perfect—shoulders straight, chin high, gaze cool. Around her sat key department heads, the PR lead, finance managers, and Mira, seated loyally to her left.
A large screen at the front displayed headlines flashing in bold:
"Celeste's Growth Curve: Too Good To Be True?""Anonymous Tip Alleging Internal Misconduct Shakes Fashion Giant.""Is Celeste Headed For A Crash?"
Mira cast a glance at Liyana, who didn't flinch.
"Damage is still contained," Mira began cautiously. "The partners are shaken but haven't pulled out. However… some press outlets are demanding an official response within twenty-four hours."
"Let them demand," Liyana said, voice calm. "We control the pace. Not them."
The room stirred—relief for some, concern for others.
"Now," Liyana continued, turning to the finance head, "Cross-check last quarter's report. I want a full forensic audit by internal compliance. No errors, no inconsistencies. You have 12 hours."
The man nodded, already typing into his tablet.
She turned to PR. "Draft a neutral press release—calm, professional, measured. Acknowledge the speculation, reiterate our standards. Make it known that we're conducting our own review and will respond in full when appropriate."
"Yes, ma'am."
Liyana's eyes gleamed. "And Mira—contact our analytics division. I want every IP that viewed or shared that tip traced. And any anomalies in internal logins from the past week."
Mira's lips curved. "Already working on it."
As the meeting ended, Liyana stood, elegant and composed, gathering her notes.
But as the others filtered out, Mira stayed back.
Liyana looked up from her files. "Speak."
Mira hesitated, then said, "Do you really think someone from the inside is behind this?"
"I know it."
"And you're not angry?"
"I'm livid," Liyana replied with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "But rage is unproductive until it's aimed correctly."
Later That Day — Celeste's Internal Review Command Room
Screens lit up with server activity, login data, and security logs. Mira stood beside Ruoxi, who had dropped by from Aurora Grand's tech division to assist discreetly. Damien had made the request after reviewing the initial article himself.
Ruoxi's fingers moved rapidly across the keyboard. "Someone definitely tampered with Celeste's forecast file. It was edited from a secure device—cleared under upper-level credentials."
Mira frowned. "Which ones?"
Ruoxi tapped a few more commands.
A name popped up on the screen.
"…Qin Xieren?"
Mira's mouth parted in disbelief. "But she's a temporary consultant—how did she even get elevated access?"
"She must have found a way in," Ruoxi said, narrowing her eyes. "And this wasn't clumsy. She knew what she was doing."
"We need to tell Liyana."
Ruoxi shook her head. "Not yet. Let me dig deeper. If we confront her without irrefutable proof, she'll twist it around."
Mira nodded reluctantly. "Alright. But be careful, Ruoxi."
Ruoxi smiled. "You too. This isn't just about jealousy anymore. Someone's playing a much bigger game."
Celeste HQ – Evening
Liyana stood before a window in her office, city lights painting her figure in shades of dusk.
Her phone buzzed. Damien.
"Did you get it?" she asked without a greeting.
"I did. PR looks solid. Calm and intelligent—exactly how you fight a smear campaign."
"Thank you."
"And I sent Ruoxi to assist Mira. Hope you don't mind."
"Of course not," Liyana said, a faint smile in her voice. "I appreciate it."
Damien's voice dropped slightly. "We'll get through this, Gege. You're not the only one who's protective of what's yours."
A soft laugh escaped her lips. "That's my line."
Meanwhile — Qin's Apartment
Qin sat cross-legged on her bed, reading a draft of The Industry Pulse's follow-up piece.
Everything was falling into place.
Until she received a message:
Anonymous: "Celeste has begun internal audits. They've flagged anomalies. Cover your tracks."
Qin's pulse spiked. She rushed to her laptop and began deleting files, rerouting emails, and wiping logs.
What she didn't know was that Ruoxi had already cloned her system.
The Next Morning – Media Statement
Celeste released an elegant yet firm response to the media storm:
"Celeste Holdings upholds the highest standards of transparency and integrity. We are aware of unverified claims circulating in online spaces and are conducting an internal audit. We ask the public and our partners to trust in the strength and accountability we've always stood for."
The statement didn't just calm the storm—it subtly turned the narrative.
Support from investors began to trickle back in.
And behind the scenes, Liyana was sharpening her next move.
This wasn't just a response.
It was the start of a reckoning.