chapter1144

Three days later, Joshua told her the company's network was finally restored. There wouldn't be any more incidents-at least, not from the same breach.

But while their cybersecurity was back up and running, what had already been stolen was gone for good.

They could tweak their plans, but most partnership agreements were set in stone; changing them now would be nearly impossible.

Israel now had a clear picture of Stella's next intended business target-he could easily intercept their deals before they even got off the ground.

The only way to avoid being cut out was to drop those contracts entirely.

But walking away wasn't much different than being muscled out.

It was then that Joshua suddenly made a suggestion.

"What if we put together a fake proposal?" he said. "Hit Israel hard while he's distracted. If he's busy cleaning up his own mess, he won't have the time to come after us."

Stella had considered this tactic before.

The problem was, making Israel believe the bait was real wouldn't be easy.

Israel wasn't stupid; a deal that appeared out of nowhere would instantly raise his suspicions.

She voiced her concern.

Joshua just smiled, a sly edge to his expression. "Trust me. I have a way."

Just then, Stella's phone rang.

On the other end, Aicken's voice was tense.

"Ms. Cameron, you're in the news."

Stella's brows drew together. "What news?"

Aicken wouldn't call for just any headline-this had to be something serious.

"It's negative press about the company. I've already contacted PR to try and suppress the story, but our tech team says it can't be taken down. Apparently, a top-tier hacker released it. We don't have permission to delete the posts."

He paused, voice heavy. "If it's not removed quickly, it's going to do serious damage. A lot of our partners are already calling, asking what's happening-or even trying to back out of their agreements."

Stella's frown deepened. "Alright. Let me take a look."

"Understood."

She hung up and immediately checked the headlines online.

The news was everywhere: the company was in crisis, teetering on the edge of bankruptcy.

According to the reports, Stella had only managed to acquire the Pearce Group's shares because she was the heiress of the Williams Group-implying she was nothing more than a spoiled socialite.

They painted her as an empty-headed figurehead, uninterested in actual work, even supporting a string of young lovers on the side.

The rumor-mongers claimed her divorce was due to her supposed lack of morals.

Stella understood exactly what

these stories were meant to do. The real goal wasn't to drag her name through the mud for its own sake-it was to destroy her credibility with business partners and shareholders to make them lose faith in her entirely. s

She scrolled through the comments. They were overwhelmingly toxic.

But Stella's face remained calm, betraying no emotion. She put her phone away

and relayed everything to Joshua.

His eyes turned thoughtful, dark with calculation.

"This is the perfect opportunity," he said quietly.

Stella caught on instantly. "If I call in the PR team now and hold a late-night press conference... I just acquired the Pearce Group, so the whole country is watching. Now there's a scandal about me all over, the news Everyone will assume Im overwhelmed and distracted-they'll let their guard down." s

Joshua's lips curled into a smile. "Star, you're getting sharper by the day."

That night, Stella held a press conference, inviting all the major media outlets for

a carefully orchestrated damage-control campaign. Content originally comes from F ndNovel.net

The journalists had all been handpicked, and every question was designed to cast Stella in a favorable light.

But online, the public wasn't buying it. The insults and accusations kept pouring

in.

Stella doubled down-she brought in a PR team and hired social media managers to help sway public opinion. For a few days, the tide seemed to turn,

but then it swung back just as viciously. The backlash was relentless.

Finally, Stella la could take no more. She addressed the rumors herself, posting a personal statement online. It backfired spectacularly rather than clearing her name, she found herself on the verge of beingo canceled by the entire internet. s