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Jenny sat down in her eerily quiet office, staring outside but not seeing the beautiful view of New York. She was CEO of Apex Investments but right now, everything was a mess and the building itself felt like a cage.

She could feel a strong urge to revert back to who she had been. Abandon her new good girl image and rebel. She craved that comfort of familiarity. Then, she knew what to do. Now? Not so much.

Now, the isolation was suffocating.

Jasmine had set out to cut Jenny from her support and she had to admit that Jasmine had done a great job of that.

Nico was gone and with him, one of her most important tools. With WireFrame out of the picture, she'd have to either get something set up with another company, which there was no time for, or rely on her own skills.

She'd been intending to manage this whole thing with Amelia Ward but even she was gone. Gone like the wind.

All she'd sent Jenny was an email saying she was going on vacation for her mental health and what looked like a genuine apology. But Jenny was sure Jasmine had a hand in this. It was just too… convenient.

Even if Jasmine had really been behind Amelia's disappearance, Jenny could not fault the woman, after all, she knew her own sister. Jasmine was like the devil but wrapped in a polite package.

Jenny sighed, her eyes going down to her phone on the desk. She'd spent some time scrolling through her contact list and it felt like the list was mocking her. While Jasmine had spent time building actual business contacts, she'd spent her time gathering outcasts and strays.

Most of them couldn't help her and the ones that could had a lot to lose. Jasmine had indeed won this round.

And as she leaned back in her chair, looking up at the ceiling, Nico's words came to her.

"You're already all you need to accomplish all you want."

She slowly sat up and stared at her phone. Why was she searching for someone to come save her? Why couldn't she stand up and save herself?

"Fuck it." She swore. "I'm not fucking out yet."

She stood and began pacing the office. Time was running out. The final board meeting was so close, she could almost see it. She needed to cook up something decisive.

Her new division and Apex Future Focus were both running smoothly, and so was Jasmine's NovaGen. In the eyes of the investors, she could say they're neck and neck. She just needed to tilt the scales in her favor.

Her mind went to everything Nico had told her. Jasmine was behind the attack on WireFrame. He didn't want to take her out yet to not rile her mother. She remembered her mother's words.

"The means must be invisible if you want to control the ends."

If Nico had publicized the information, it would have exposed the means and turned her mother against her. But that didn't mean she still couldn't use the information.

She walked back to her desk and sat behind it, pulling her keyboard and mouse closer. There was a higher chance of Nico answering his email than his phone if he was as busy as he said he is.

She fired him a quick email, asking for all evidence confirming that Jasmine was really behind the attack. She knew the perfect person to use it on.

And as Jasmine's misdeeds worked against her, Jenny just needed someone to keep her name alive in the minds of both the board members and the world alike. That was when she remembered the one tool she had left. The only one still working in New York City.

The Sentinel.

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Jenny strode into the Sentinel building, admiring the old charm of the place. Nico had given them some much needed cash and instead of using it to level up their locations like some would do, they'd used a bit to preserve it instead.

While the building was old in style and structure, it was immaculately clean and well kept for. She could feel the pride these people had, not just for where they were but also what they did.

As a guest, she was quickly led to a conference room and seated at the head of the table was the man she was here for.

James Reed. Chief Operating Officer of The Sentinel. Young and handsome, he looked like one of those guys she'd have tried to date if she met him at a club.

"Ms. Voss." He stood, extending a hand to her with a polite smile on his face. "It's good to see you."

"Thank you for meeting with me in such short notice, Mr. Reed." She answered, shaking his hand.

"Oh, call me James." He said, his smile a bit more genuine.

"Then, you can call me Jenny." She returned his smile.

"Yes, let's sit." He gestured and they both sat. "So, what have we done to attract your interest?" He asked.

"Nothing." Jenny smiled in answer. "You've just been you and that's exactly what I need."
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"I beg your pardon?"

"I want to open up Apex Investments to the reporters of The Sentinel for a limited time. You can go and come as you please and write articles on whatever topic you choose."

James was silent for a moment, staring at her before speaking. "I see." He nodded to himself. "This is an… interesting proposition. But I have to ask, what's the catch?"

"There's no catch." Jenny answered seriously. "All I want is a news media that I can trust to not take sides or to not be influenced to report the situation as it is. Whatever you find, I want you to report. I want the truth."

"The truth, you say?" James leaned back in his chair, scratching his chin. "Sentinel can do that but I see no reason why we should."

"Simple." Jenny smiled. "The succession."

James sat up ever so slightly and Jenny's smile grew at that.

"The financial world is watching the Apex succession. Who would you rather be the exclusive news company reporting the juicy details? The Sentinel or someone else?"

"I see." James placed his hand on the table and steepled his fingers, a smile on his face. "I think we can work something out."