Chapter Eleven: Shadows in the Fog
The following morning, the team gathered early in Ava’s penthouse, their faces set with grim determination. The air was heavy with urgency, the stakes now painfully clear. Victor’s silence had ended not with words but with a calculated move—one designed to cripple independent cannabis businesses and cement his monopoly.
Ava stood at the head of the table, her voice steady despite the whirlwind of emotions threatening to overwhelm her. “We have dispensaries willing to talk. Dana’s already reached out to three owners who’ve been directly impacted by the contaminated products.”
Dana nodded, scrolling through her phone. “They’re scared, but they’re angry enough to speak up. I’ve scheduled interviews for later today.”
Rob leaned forward, his brow furrowed. “What about the media? We can’t risk Victor controlling the narrative before we get the truth out.”
Sophia tapped her laptop. “We’ve lined up a few smaller outlets willing to publish anonymously if we need to move fast. But for maximum impact, we need to coordinate this with the exposé we’re building.”
Jake, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, chimed in. “That gives us a window—barely. Victor’s PR machine is fast, but he won’t expect us to strike this hard.”
Ava met his gaze, her resolve hardening. “Then we don’t waste any time.”
By midday, Ava and Dana sat in a cramped office at the back of a small dispensary on the outskirts of the city. The owner, a wiry man in his fifties named Mark, leaned forward in his chair, his hands gripping the table as he spoke.
“They sold us that soil cheap,” Mark said, his voice tight with anger. “Said it was a game-changer. But it destroyed my crop. Ruined half my greenhouse before I realized what was happening.”
Dana typed furiously on her laptop as Ava pressed further. “And you’re certain the supplier was connected to Victor’s company?”
Mark nodded emphatically. “His name wasn’t on the invoice, but everyone knows who’s behind it. Cain Holdings owns the distributor, and they’re pushing this crap everywhere.”
Ava’s stomach churned. Mark wasn’t the first dispensary owner to share this story, but hearing it firsthand made the scale of Victor’s operation feel even more insidious. She placed a reassuring hand on Mark’s arm. “We’re going to make sure people know the truth.”
Mark’s eyes flickered with a mix of hope and fear. “Just don’t let him bury me in the process.”
Back at the penthouse, the team reconvened to compare notes. Dana had compiled testimonies from three different dispensary owners, each telling a similar story of sabotage and exploitation. Sophia had unearthed shipment records linking the contaminated products to a subsidiary of Cain Holdings.
“This is damning,” Sophia said, sliding her laptop across the table toward Ava. “We have the evidence. We just need to package it.”
Jake leaned over to examine the files, his expression thoughtful. “Victor’s going to see this coming the second we move. We need to make sure he doesn’t have time to counter.”
Ava’s mind raced. “We hit fast and wide—multiple outlets, all at once. He can’t suppress the story if it’s everywhere.”
Rob frowned. “That’s a gamble. If we don’t control the narrative, he’ll find a way to spin it.”
Jake shot Rob a sharp look. “And if we wait, he’ll bury it before we can blink.”
Ava raised a hand, cutting off the brewing argument. “We’re not waiting. We move tonight.”
The hours leading up to the exposé’s release were a blur of activity. Ava felt the weight of every decision pressing down on her, but she pushed through, fueled by adrenaline and determination. By the time the clock struck midnight, the team was ready.
Sophia hit send on the coordinated email blasts, releasing the story to a network of independent media outlets. Within minutes, headlines began to appear:
• “Toxic Soil, Toxic Empire: How Victor Cain’s Company Is Destroying Small Businesses”
• “Contaminated Cannabis Linked to Hospitalizations: The Dark Side of Cain Holdings”
Ava watched the stories spread like wildfire, her breath caught in her throat. The first wave was out, but the battle was far from over.
The fallout began almost immediately. By the time Ava woke the next morning, her phone was buzzing with calls and messages. The exposé had gone viral, triggering outrage across social media and sparking demands for investigations into Cain Holdings.
But with the success came danger. Rob called just after sunrise, his voice strained. “Ava, you need to get down here. Someone broke into the studio last night.”
Ava’s blood ran cold. “What? Was anyone hurt?”
“No, but… you need to see it.”
At the studio, the damage was clear. Windows were shattered, furniture overturned, and a spray-painted message in bold red letters sprawled across the wall: “STOP NOW.”
Ava stared at the words, her chest tightening. “Victor,” she said softly.
Jake, who had arrived with her, stepped closer. “Or someone worse,” he muttered, his eyes scanning the room.
The threat felt tangible, pressing against Ava’s skin like a vice. She turned to Rob, her voice firm. “Call the police. Get security here around the clock.”
Rob nodded, but his expression was grim. “This isn’t going to stop him.”
Ava met his gaze, her jaw tightening. “Then we don’t stop either.”
Back at the penthouse, Ava paced the living room, her mind racing. The attack on the studio wasn’t just a scare tactic—it was a declaration of war. And the shadowy group behind the package loomed larger in her thoughts, their motives still shrouded in mystery.
Jake watched her silently for a moment before stepping into her path. “You can’t let him get in your head,” he said.
Ava stopped, her breath hitching. “He’s already there.”
Jake’s hand brushed her arm, a small, grounding gesture. “You’ve got this, Ava. Don’t let him see you doubt yourself.”
She met his gaze, the intensity in his eyes drawing her in. For a moment, the storm inside her quieted, the weight of her fears lifting slightly. But the moment was fleeting, shattered by the sound of Sophia’s voice from the other room.
“Ava, you need to see this!”
Ava and Jake hurried to the kitchen, where Sophia stood over her laptop, her face pale. She turned the screen toward them, her voice trembling. “It’s a leak… about you.”
The article on the screen was damning: “Ava Green’s Alleged Fraud: The Truth Behind the Arrest.” It was filled with fabricated accusations, twisting her fight against Victor into a personal vendetta fueled by greed.
Ava’s stomach dropped. The ground beneath her felt like it was giving way, the walls of the penthouse closing in.
Jake placed a hand on her shoulder, his voice steady. “This is him hitting back. It’s dirty, but it’s desperate.”
Ava nodded, but the fear in her chest wouldn’t subside. The fight had turned personal, and the stakes had never been higher.