Chapter 7: The Public Outrage
Chapter 7: The Public Outrage
The internet did not hold back. The contrast between the pristine, high-society philanthropic image Eleanor Vance presented to the world and the brutal, animalistic reality of her dragging a young mother by her hair next to a baby's crib was too jarring to ignore.
By 9:00 AM, the hashtag #BoycottVanceEnterprises was the number one trending topic nationwide.
Stock prices for Vance Enterprises began a dizzying, vertical freefall, dropping twelve percent in the opening hour of trading. Institutional investors began pulling their capital out of panic. Protestors began gathering outside the gates of the Vance estate and the corporate headquarters downtown, holding signs that read: "Monsters in Chanel" and "Protect Clara and Lily."
Inside her pristine office, Eleanor Vance watched the news feeds with a pale, trembling face. Her phone was ringing off the hook. The board of directors was demanding an emergency meeting.
"Fix this!" Eleanor screamed at her public relations team. "Release a statement! Say the video is a deepfake! Say she attacked me first!"
"We can't, Madam Eleanor," the head PR specialist said, his voice shaking. "The metadata has been verified by independent tech analysts. The public is furious. Several of our biggest retail partners are threatening to terminate their distribution contracts by noon if you do not step down as CEO."
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Before Eleanor could process the threat, the heavy oak doors of her office burst open. Two federal agents from the Department of Labor and a city detective walked in.
"Eleanor Vance?" the detective asked, pulling out a set of handcuffs. "You are under arrest for domestic battery, assault on a minor, and unlawful eviction. Please put your hands behind your back."
