Chapter 7
A Cousin's Influence
The CEO of Vera Tek, President Bolt's cousin Ava Sterling, is revealed as a ruthless figure. Emma suspects a darker connection between the two women.
Emma’s fingers danced across the keyboard, a frantic rhythm against the hum of the newsroom. The Vera Tek file lay open on her secondary monitor, a labyrinth of corporate jargon and carefully curated press releases. Her gut, however, screamed that something was off. It was too clean, too perfect, like a stage set meticulously arranged for an audience that didn’t exist. President Bolt, her idol, had championed this miracle cure, this VeraTek vaccine. And now, her cousin, Ava Sterling, the enigmatic CEO of Vera Tek, was at the heart of it all.
The promotion. That was the carrot dangling before Emma, the shiny prize for landing the biggest story. Janet Blackwell, their esteemed lead anchor, was retiring in three months, and the race was on. Emma, with her meticulously organized notes and her laser focus, was a dark horse against the slick, silver-tongued Trevor Bates. He had a knack for charming the right people, for spinning a narrative that shimmered with charisma. Emma had a knack for facts, for digging until the truth, however ugly, surrendered.
Trevor’s assignment was missing persons, a seemingly unrelated thread in the vast tapestry of the news cycle. He’d been dismissive of her Vera Tek story, calling it a “soft puff piece.” Emma had bristled, the familiar competitive spark igniting. But now, a seed of unease had been planted. Ava Sterling. President Bolt. Cousins. And a vaccine that was supposed to cure everything from cancer to the common cold. It felt less like a medical breakthrough and more like… something else.
Keep reading "A Cousin's Influence"
Open the same story in AIBookCraft. Later chapters may require an active subscription.
Free on iOS & Android · No signup to read