Stinging betrayal. That's what Callie felt, a bitter taste coating her tongue. Headlines screamed across every screen, a digital inferno consuming Adrian's legacy. Each word felt like a personal attack, a direct blow to the meticulous work she had poured into Thorne Corp. Every investor call, every late night, every strategic win—all reduced to ashes by one devastating leak. Adrian sat motionless across the opulent office, shoulders slumped, his gaze fixed on nothing. The man who typically radiated controlled power now seemed utterly hollowed out, a statue carved from despair. His usually sharp jawline was slack, eyes distant, reflecting a pain too profound for words. His empire, his family's name, their very foundation, was crumbling around him. The weight of his ancestor’s sins, unearthed and amplified, threatened to bury him alive. Callie's own heart ached with a deep, crushing sorrow for him. But amidst the wreckage of their hopes, a stubborn ember of defiance sparked within her. She couldn't let him drown. She wouldn't. This wasn’t just about Thorne Corp's reputation anymore; it was about fighting for the man she loved, for the future they were building. Pacing the plush carpet, her mind raced. The public fury was a tidal wave. Trying to deflect or deny would only make it worse, fuel the fire. Traditional damage control was useless here. They needed something radical, something nobody expected. Radical transparency. Brutal, unforgiving honesty. It hit her with the force of a revelation. They couldn't hide from Elias Thorne's past. They had to own it, confront it, and then, crucially, prove that Adrian Thorne was nothing like his notorious ancestor. Adrian finally stirred, his voice a raw whisper. "It's over, Callie. Everything. My grandfather's ghost... it's destroyed us." Stopping before him, she knelt, forcing him to meet her gaze. "It's not over. Not while I'm standing here. We fight. We fight harder than ever before." He shook his head, a single, bitter laugh escaping him. "Fight what? A decades-old truth? They hate us, Callie. They want blood." "Then we give them the truth, Adrian. All of it." Her voice was firm, unwavering. "No spin. No deflection. We open every book. Every file. We show them the dark corners of the past, yes, but we also show them how you've tried to build something different, something ethical." Adrian's eyes widened, a flicker of something that looked like horror. "You want to expose Thorne Corp's entire history? Are you mad? It's suicide, Callie! We'll be torn apart." "We're already being torn apart, Adrian!" Her voice rose, fueled by a desperate urgency. "This is our only way to regain any trust. To show them you're not Elias Thorne. You're Adrian. You stand for something better. We rip off the band-aid and let it bleed, then we heal it in the open." Hours blurred into a frantic whirlwind. Callie mobilized the skeletal remains of their PR team. Lawyers were on standby, initially horrified by her strategy, then cautiously intrigued by its audacity. They began compiling documents, preparing statements, setting up a dedicated public portal for

Chapter 47: Standing By Him