"Don't let Isabella's arrogance get to you," I said, placing a reassuring hand on Evelyn's shoulder as we sat in her office. "She'll regret treating you that way."
Evelyn stared out the window, her reflection ghostly against the glass. "Will she? Right now it feels like she was just stating facts."
"Trust me," I replied firmly. "When our new product launches, people like Isabella Cruz will be lining up to apologize."
She turned to face me, hope flickering in her tired eyes. "You really believe that?"
"I know it."
Meanwhile, across the city at Jiang Central Hospital, a different kind of crisis was unfolding. The sterile white corridors echoed with hurried footsteps and urgent voices as medical staff rushed between patient rooms.
In the executive wing, Dean Adrian Nash paced nervously outside the VIP intensive care unit. His usually immaculate appearance was disheveled, his tie loosened and his hair slightly mussed from running his hands through it repeatedly.
