2025-08-25 23:44:19The next evening, Michael stood in Liana Garcia's main atelier, watching the controlled chaos of Fashion Week preparation unfold around him. Seamstresses worked at a dozen stations, their fingers flying over fabrics that shifted color in the studio lights. Pattern makers consulted tablets displaying designs that seemed to move and breathe on the screen.
"She said yes," Sophia announced, approaching with barely contained excitement. "Liana agreed to feature So Black in her show."Michael felt a surge of relief. The meeting with Megan had gone better than expected. Once the young engineer understood what they were building—fashion that could literally express human consciousness—her enthusiasm had overcome her natural caution about publicity."But?" Michael prompted, hearing the hesitation in Sophia's voice."She insists on total creative control," Sophia replied. "Complete authority over the designs, the presentation, the messaging. We provide the technology, she deci
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Chapter 73
Maxwell Hughes's office occupied the top floor of a glass tower in Midtown, all clean lines and expensive furniture that screamed "medical innovation with venture capital backing." Michael had done his research on the drive over. Hughes had founded three biotech startups, sold two for massive profits, and currently ran a company that specialized in experimental treatments for neurological conditions.The kind of treatments that existed in the gray area between cutting-edge medicine and regulatory gambling.The receptionist showed Michael into a conference room with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Manhattan. Hughes was already there, standing at the glass with his back to the door."Mr. Crawford. Thank you for coming." Hughes turned, extended his hand. Mid-fifties, silver hair, the kind of polished confidence that came from winning more bets than you lost. "I know our previous interactions haven't been... ideal."Michael shook his hand, noted the firm grip designed to communicate
Chapter 72
Crawford Manor felt different in daylight. Less imposing, more tired. The estate that had witnessed three generations of Crawford ambition now felt like a stage where the actors had forgotten their lines.Michael's car crunched up the gravel drive. His father had called the meeting for two in the afternoon, giving both sons time to arrive separately. Strategic, as always. Richard Crawford didn't do anything without purpose.Eric's Range Rover was already parked near the main entrance. Michael felt his jaw tighten. Forty-eight hours since the board suspension, and his brother was still fighting. Still scheming. The desperation would make him more dangerous, not less.Inside, the study smelled like old leather and older money. Richard sat in his usual chair, looking stronger than he had at the hospital but still carrying the weight of his health scare. Eric stood by the window, arms crossed, radiating barely contained fury."Sit down, both of you," Richard said. Not a request.Michael t
Chapter 71
Michael spent the next morning doing damage control. Conference calls with key board members. Reassurances to nervous investors. Carefully worded statements to the press about "internal governance reviews" that meant absolutely nothing and everything at once.By noon, he was exhausted. Not from the work, but from the constant performance. Every conversation required calibration. Every word needed to be measured against how it might be used against him later.His assistant buzzed. "Mr. Crawford? Kylie Crawford is here. She says it's urgent."Michael straightened. Kylie. His protégé, the brilliant Columbia senior he'd been mentoring since his father's birthday celebration. The kid who'd gone on national television and publicly credited him with inspiring her unconventional path."Send her in."Kylie walked in looking different from the poised student he'd seen in her TV interview. She wore jeans and a Columbia hoodie, but there was something harder in her expression. She carried her bat
Chapter 70
The aftermath felt like walking through a bombed-out building. Everything looked the same from the outside, but the foundations had shifted in ways that would take months to fully understand.Michael stood in his office, watching through the window as Eric's Range Rover peeled out of the underground garage. His brother's departure wasn't graceful. Wasn't dignified. Just angry and desperate and completely ruined."He left his laptop," Olivia said from the doorway. "Security found it in the boardroom. Still logged in."Michael turned. "What's on it?""Everything we already knew about Thornton. But also..." She hesitated. "Draft communications he never sent. Plans that go way beyond what we exposed today.""Show me."They moved to Michael's private conference room. Olivia connected Eric's laptop to the display screen, and Michael felt his blood run cold.Eric hadn't just been planning to facilitate a Thornton acquisition. He'd been planning to systematically dismantle Crawford Enterprise
Chapter 69
The war room in Michael's penthouse had taken on a life of its own. Coffee cups littered every surface. Olivia had commandeered the entire dining table, three monitors glowing in the pre-dawn darkness. Megan paced near the windows, phone pressed to her ear, speaking in rapid Chinese to someone halfway across the world.Michael hadn't slept in hours. Didn't need to. His Enhanced Intuition was running on pure adrenaline and righteous anger."Got him," Olivia said suddenly.Michael crossed to her station. "Got who?""The actor. The one in the photos Eric showed the board." She pulled up a headshot from a talent agency website. "Blend, twenty-eight, specializes in 'corporate training videos and educational content.' Based in Newark."Michael studied the face. Same guy from Eric's fabricated evidence, the one who'd supposedly been his "dealer" in the staged photographs."Can we reach him?""Already did." Megan ended her call and turned from the window. "He's willing to talk. For the right
Chapter 68
The System message appeared in Michael's vision as he stood backstage, still breathing hard from his improvised runway performance: [Emergency Task Completed: Create something revolutionary from nothing. Reward: Enhanced Creativity - Level 3 Activated] Michael felt the enhancement take effect immediately. Ideas began flowing through his mind with unprecedented clarity and connection. The collaborative demonstration he'd just performed wasn't just a solution to sabotage—it was the foundation for an entirely new approach to neural-responsive technology. "Michael," Sophia called urgently, "the media wants statements about the collaborative presentation. They're calling it a breakthrough in interactive fashion technology." "Because it is," Michael replied, his Enhanced Creativity revealing possibilities he'd never considered before. "What we just demonstrated accidentally is more revolutionary than anything we planned deliberately." Louise approached, still glowing from the successfu
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