Chapter 48 - The Final Threat
The launch of the Wren Vanguard Academy proceeded with the aggressive efficiency that defined all our operations. However, just as our legacy initiative began to flourish, a final, desperate shadow attempted to blot out our sun.
It wasn't a rival corporation this time. It was the federal government.
A coalition of highly conservative politicians, heavily funded by the dying fossil fuel lobbies and terrified by Rose & Wren’s monopoly on sustainable infrastructure, launched a massive antitrust investigation against us. They claimed our New Footprints projects were monopolizing the global energy grids and demanded that the company be fractured into smaller, weaker entities.
"They are issuing subpoenas for our entire executive board," Julian announced, storming into my office with a thick stack of federal indictments. "Senator Hayes is leading the charge. He is demanding a congressional hearing next week. He wants to publicly humiliate you and break Rose & Wren apart under the guise of anti-monopoly regulations."
I didn't flinch. I had defeated billionaires, aristocratic syndicates, and cyber-mercenaries. A corrupt politician looking for a headline was nothing but a minor inconvenience.
"Senator Hayes is a puppet for the old energy sector," I stated calmly, walking over to my desk. "He thinks he can use the theater of a congressional hearing to intimidate us. He forgets that I do not play defense."
"How do you want to handle this?" Julian asked, his predatory instincts instantly flaring back to life. "Do we deploy the legal team to stall the subpoenas?"
"No," I smiled, a dangerous, brilliant strategy forming. "We are going to fully cooperate. I will personally attend the congressional hearing. But I want you to deploy our intelligence division. Senator Hayes has been in politics for thirty years. A man funded by dirty energy absolutely has dirty finances. Dig into his offshore accounts, his campaign contributions, and his private real estate holdings. I want every single skeleton in his closet sitting on my desk by Monday morning."
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Julian’s grin was sharp and lethal. "I'll have his entire life dismantled and categorized in forty-eight hours."
"Good," I said, looking out the window at the gleaming city we had built. "Senator Hayes wants a public execution. We are going to gladly give him one."
