Chapter 5 - The Midnight Call
By 9:00 PM that evening, the story of what happened at the Oakridge community center had spread across the regional news and defense industry networks. A local guest had streamed the Colonel’s entrance, and the video of Julian abandoning his bride only to be confronted by a decorated military convoy went viral across every platform.
In his luxury penthouse across town, Julian sat in the dark, staring at his phone as hundreds of notifications poured in.
Apex Defense Group Chat: "Julian, is that you on Twitter?" Executive VP: "Emergency board meeting tomorrow at 7:30 AM. Be in the main boardroom." Father: "You fool! You just destroyed our company's biggest government bid!"
His phone rang. It was the Chief Operating Officer of Apex Defense.
"Julian," the COO barked through the speaker without a greeting. "Tell me the video online is an AI deepfake."
"Sir, it was a private misunderstanding—"
"A misunderstanding?!" the executive roared. "You publicly disgraced a Medal of Honor recipient whose military foundation controls thirty-five percent of our veteran investment trust! Senator Miller’s office called our CEO twenty minutes ago demanding an immediate ethics review of our defense division!"
"I can fix it, sir!" Julian pleaded, sweat soaking through his collar. "I'll issue a public apology! I'll visit Clara and Arthur tomorrow morning with flowers and a press team!"
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"You won't do anything until the board decides whether to terminate your contract tomorrow," the COO said before hanging up.
Julian dropped his phone onto the glass table, clutching his head in sheer desperation. The golden career he had built through pride and arrogance had crumbled to dust in a single afternoon.
