Kaelen’s jaw clenched, his eyes locked on the holographic screen. Aegis Corp. The name echoed, a cold, calculated threat. His family's historical role in the disease? Unethical trials? He felt a primal roar building in his chest. Elara, still weak but conscious, stirred beside him. “Kaelen?” Her voice, thin, pulled him back. He turned, forcing a calming smile, but his knuckles were white where he gripped the armrest of her examination chair. “Nothing, love. Just corporate noise.” The lie felt bitter on his tongue. He pressed a kiss to her temple. “You need to rest. We can talk later.” Carefully, he helped her back to the recovery bed. Her eyes, heavy-lidded, watched him. She knew. She always did. But he couldn't burden her now, not after everything. Immediately, Kaelen moved to his private console, fingers flying across the interface. He needed answers. He needed to understand the scope of this attack. Calling Liam, his head of security, was the first priority. “Liam, activate Protocol Gamma. I want a full sweep on Aegis Corp. Every executive, every shareholder, every known associate. Dig into their financials, their past projects. Everything.” Liam's voice, usually calm, held a rare edge. “Already on it, Kaelen. The news feeds are exploding. They’re launching a multi-pronged assault. Not just the press, but social media, scientific forums… it’s coordinated.” Fist slamming against the cool metal desk, Kaelen swore under his breath. He had anticipated resistance, but not this. Not a global, weaponized smear campaign aimed directly at his life's work. Hours blurred into a frantic haze. Kaelen worked tirelessly, surrounded by screens displaying a growing storm. News anchors, with grave expressions, questioned the legitimacy of Thorne Industries' research. Talking heads debated the ethics of experimental cures. Anonymous online accounts, clearly bots, flooded platforms with accusations. Whispers turned into shouts. Hashtags trended, accusing Thorne Industries of exploiting desperate patients. They painted Kaelen as a ruthless opportunist, profiting from human suffering. His family’s past. That was the lynchpin. Kaelen knew Aegis Corp would dig deep, unearthing the dark chapters. The whispers of his ancestors' involvement in the initial spread of the virus, a long-buried secret, would now be paraded as damning evidence. He had spent his entire life trying to atone for those historical mistakes, to right the wrongs of generations past. Now, it was being twisted, weaponized, to dismantle everything he had built. He saw the manipulated articles, the carefully curated historical documents flashing across the screens. They depicted his family not as victims of circumstance, but as architects of a plague, then saviors selling a fabricated solution. Disturbing, grainy images appeared, supposedly of his great-grandfather, alongside cryptic notes. The narrative was clear: the Thornes profited from the disease, and Kaelen was merely continuing the legacy, using a

Chapter 46: A Global Conspiracy