MY SUGAR MUMMY IS A BEAUTIFUL VAMPIRE

Chapter 69: Pressed at the conference

Rose paced the plush confines of her office suite, mind whirring as she strategized her next move. The media tsunami triggered by that muckraking journalist's exposé had been devastating, threatening to drown Shelley-Tech beneath a tidal wave of public outrage.

Whoever was behind those leaked atrocity videos clearly had an agenda bent on complete and utter destruction, not simply a pursuit of justice and accountability. No, this was a coordinated, precision-strike assault meticulously designed to leverage Rose's own missteps into a campaign of absolute annihilation.

Had it not been for her government ally's timely intervention giving her a crucial head start, the entire Shelley-Tech empire may very well have already crumbled beyond salvation by now.

Rose shuddered inwardly, still feeling the phantom reverberations of dodging that apocalyptic bullet. But she knew the reprieve was only temporary - a brief ceasefire before her nameless adversary's next salvo.

That was why, within hours of being tipped off about the gathering media onslaught, Rose had rapidly mobilized Shelley-Tech's most elite crisis management team. She spared no expense flying in the nation's most cutthroat PR specialists, legal experts, and communications professionals to form an impenetrable counterstrike force.

Led by an ex-CIA operative now specializing in hybrid cyber-defense initiatives, Rose's assembled brain trust got to work with brutal efficiency. They secured double-encrypted comm lines and rewired Shelley-Tech's networks with redundant DDoS shielding and hardened firewalls.

Top cybersecurity analysts began scrubbing for potential internal leaks and nefarious infiltrators hidden within the company's code.

At the same time, the psychological operations division began war-gaming every conceivable counter-narrative designed to neuter and reframe the damning viral footage. Within 72 hours, they'd formulated and stress-tested over two dozen defensive postures, each with contingencies for shaping public perception no matter how the scandal escalated.

When the axe finally fell in the form of breathless media reports, Rose was armed to the teeth and ready.

At an emergency press conference hastily assembled in Shelley-Tech's lavish auditorium, she strode out before a battalion of news cameras and reporters with chin held high. Flanked by a phalanx of razor-sharp legal counselors and communication directors, Rose exuded an aura of strength tempered by contrition.

"Thank you all for coming on such short notice," she began, voice confident yet tinged with the slightest waver of humility. "I will be brief, but the time has come for complete transparency."

Rose paused, letting the weight of anticipation settle over the room before delivering her carefully scripted statement.

"The footage and documentation that has surfaced regarding...unethical practices condoned by my company and predecessors is deeply disturbing. I will not mince words - the human rights atrocities and cruel violations of dignity revealed in these materials are utterly inexcusable."

A rumble of hushed shock rippled through the press corps as Rose raised her hands in a placating gesture.

"Please, allow me to continue," she said firmly. "While these heinous actions were set into motion long before my tenure as Shelley-Tech's leader, I nonetheless bear full accountability and culpability for their consequences."

Another poignant pause, this time allowing the raw anguish to flicker across her features for just an instant.

"For too long, I chose to avert my eyes from the unpleasant chapters of my family's past, rationalizing and minimizing them in pursuit of what I thought was a noble vision for the future. I see now, though, that my willful ignorance enabled this systemic culture of corruption to endure far beyond what is permissible in a just society. For that, you have my sincere and abject remorse."

Rose's composure remarkably held steady as she proceeded to outline the concrete steps Shelley-Tech had already implemented to remediate the ethical rot laid bare in the leaks. External audits and oversight boards with unilateral authority. Exorbitantly funded reparations and humanitarian relief initiatives for those victimized by the company's abuses.

Even a process for initiated prosecutions against those complicit at the senior leadership levels - "no matter how high up the chain it may lead."

She wrapped up the statement with a solemn vow to submit to a no-holds-barred government investigation, welcoming federal overseers and oversight committees into Shelley-Tech's ranks without reservation.

"The era of obfuscation and cover-ups is over," Rose declared, expression almost serene against the crackling backdrop of cameras flashing in a frenzy. "I appreciate that many of you will find my words today to be hollow assurances...which is why I pledge to let the actions of myself and my leadership team speak far louder than any placating remarks."

As PR handlers swarmed to field the media onslaught afterward, Rose felt an immense weariness seep into her bones. The performance was over, at least for now - but at what unforeseen cost, she still didn't yet know.

Blake slipped his arm around her waist as they exited the auditorium, shielding Rose's face from the barrage of cameras with the other hand.

"I'm proud of you for being so upfront and taking personal responsibility," he murmured into her ear. "For what it's worth... I know how difficult that must've been."

Rose allowed herself a single, defeated sigh that only Blake could perceive as they were whisked into the waiting limousine.

"You have no idea the truth of what I'm up against," she said darkly. "The sacrifices that will be required to survive this onslaught...I pray you never have to know."

"But I do know. Matter of fact, I'm willing to make them with you," Blake vowed sincerely.

She lapsed into brooding silence as the sleek black car merged into the thrum of late afternoon traffic. Through the tinted windows, Rose could already see news vans and reporters scrambling like cockroaches for position outside Shelley-Tech's perimeter fencing.

Her press conference had been a calculated gambit, the first counterpunch thrown in what promised to be an all-out brawl for survival. And while the initial damage control efforts seemed to be blunting the worst of the backlash, Rose couldn't shake the ominous feeling that her mysterious adversary's true masterstroke was still yet to come.

For now, she had bought herself a crucial breather, an opportunity to regroup and shore up her defenses while the investigation launched and public opinion simmered down from outrage. But the walls were closing in fast from every conceivable angle...

Which meant Rose's reprieve would be depressingly short-lived unless she made her next few moves on the chessboard to be checkmates.

As the limousine cruised through the urban canyons, pulling Rose ever deeper into the city's looming shadows and menacing geometry, the only question was whether her nameless foe had already boxed her into an inescapable corner.

If so, the night to come would prove to be her darkest hour yet with all of reality hanging in the balance.