Page 93 of Claimed By The Other Brother

A knock at my door. Emma pops her head in.

"Ready for the meeting?"

"Ready."

Conference Room A is massive, with a table that seats at least twenty people. The media relations team is already assembled when I arrive, along with several others I haven't met yet. I take a seat near the middle, next to Melanie.

"Big turnout," I murmur.

"Full crisis mode," she whispers back.

"Mr. Blackwell doesn't mess around when the company's reputation is on the line."

The room quiets as the door opens. Dax walks in.

My breath catches. He's in a charcoal suit, white shirt, paisley tie. His presence fills the room immediately—commanding, powerful, impossible to ignore. He doesn't look at me right away. Just moves to the head of the table and sets down a folder.

Then his eyes find mine. The impact is physical. My heart slams against my ribs, heat floodingthrough me. His gaze is intense, unreadable, holding mine for a beat too long before he looks away.

"Let's get started," Dax says, his voice cutting through the room.

"Thank you all for being here. As you know, we're dealing with a significant crisis involving allegations against a former MediaLink director."

Karen stands, pulling up a presentation on the screen behind Dax.

"David Kane, former director of operations at MediaLink, went public last week with allegations of embezzlement, fraud, and misuse of company funds. He claims systematic financial misconduct and falsified reports."

The screen shows headlines, social media posts, financial blogs all covering the story.

"The issue," Karen continues, "is that MediaLink operates under our corporate umbrella. Which means these allegations tie back to Blackwell Media Corp's oversight. Investors are nervous. Clients are asking questions. Competitors are using this as ammunition."

Dax leans against the table, arms crossed.

"We need an aggressive, comprehensive response. Legal is handling the investigation. Our job is to control the narrative and restore credibility."

Daniel speaks up.

"We've already issued a preliminary statement about internal audits and commitment to transparency. But we need a long-term strategy."

All eyes turn to me. I straighten in my chair.

"The first step is acknowledging the allegationspublicly without admitting fault. You've done that with the preliminary statement. Next, we need to demonstrate action—announce the independent audit, bring in a third-party firm for transparency, show that Blackwell Media takes this seriously."

Karen nods.

"We're coordinating with legal on timing for that announcement."

"Good," I continue.

"We also need proactive media outreach. Don't wait for journalists to come to you. Offer interviews with key executives—" I glance at Dax, then away quickly.

"—to reinforce the message that this is being handled at the highest level."

Brad leans forward.

"What about social media? The story is trending."

"Controlled engagement," I say.