Jasmine's POV
The room was still buzzing after Ares's final words.
Everyone had seen the same warning on the screen:
THIS IS ONLY THE BEGINNING.
Those words kept echoing in my mind long after the board members began filing out, whispering in tight circles, clutching files like they were shields.
Ares touched my arm gently.
"Jasmine… breathe."
I exhaled slowly, air shaky. The tension in my chest loosened just a little.
Claire approached. "We need to work fast. The board is rattled."
Elias added, "And the staff is confused. Rumors are spreading on every floor."
My stomach tightened.
Of course they were.
Ares nodded once. "Then we start now."
He turned to me.
"Jasmine, I want you to take lead on internal communication."
My eyebrows lifted. "Me?"
"Yes," he said. "They trust you. More than you think. And after what happened with Zara… they need a voice that feels steady."
I swallowed.
A voice that feels steady.
Even though I didn't exactly feel steady inside.
