Chapter 158 The Sky Opens

Chapter 158 The Sky Opens
Chloe tapped the keypad with trembling fingers, already certain of what waited on the other end. Her chest tightened as she held the silent receiver against her ear to put on a show.

"The call will not connect, Madam CEO," Chloe lied, lowering the screen with a stiff hand.

Sarah reached out and took the mobile device from her assistant. Her eyes scanned the numbers before typing them into her own smartphone. She hit the call button without waiting another second.

A loud tone buzzed through the speaker on the very first attempt. "Hello?" a man answered.

"Mr. Zarik, this is Sarah Quinn, Chief Executive Officer of Zenith Beauty," Sarah said, keeping her voice crisp and professional.

Silence lingered on the line for three seconds. "Zenith Beauty?" Zarik asked, his tone shifting instantly into something cautious and cold.

"We require a lead brand ambassador for our product launch right now," Sarah explained, walking toward the doorway. "Name your price. Zenith Beauty will match any payment you ask for today."

"I must decline," Zarik said, his tone flat. "My health took a bad turn this morning, so I cannot accept any commercial work today."

A click cut the line before she could counter his excuse.

Sarah lowered the device, staring down at the dark glass in deep frustration.

"He rejected the offer," she muttered, turning back toward the private lounge.

A floor manager rushed through the backstage curtain, his forehead covered in thick sweat. He tripped over the edge of the carpet before steadying his balance against a wooden divider. "Madam CEO, the whole hall is falling apart!" the staff member cried.

Sarah slipped her phone into her blazer pocket, demanding an update.

"The high-value investors are walking out of the building right now," the manager panted, pointing toward the double doors. "Store owners and supermarket directors who placed pre-orders are demanding immediate refunds on their deposits."

Sarah turned around, scanning the empty corners of the lounge.

"Where is Luke?" she asked, her brow pulling together in confusion. "He was standing right behind me two minutes ago. Did he say where he was going?"

Chloe shook her head, looking around the empty room with wide eyes.

"I do not know, ma'am," Chloe answered. "He walked away while you were taking the phone call."

Sarah pushed the worry aside, focusing entirely on the crisis in front of her.

"Luke can take care of himself," Sarah stated firmly. "Our main priority is finding an immediate replacement for Lucy. Go back out there and stall the crowd so we can fix this."

"The crowd is far too impatient, Madam CEO!" the manager pleaded, throwing his hands in the air. "People are shouting in the aisles, and the distributors refuse to wait another minute."

A loud screech of feedback tore through the loudspeakers across the entire auditorium.

"Listen to me, everyone!" a harsh voice boomed over the sound system. The noise echoed off the walls, silencing the departing guests near the exit doors. Sarah pushed past the velvet curtain, stepping out into the side aisle to see the platform.

A middle-aged supermarket director stood in the center of the stage, holding an open microphone. He clutched a thick stack of paper receipts in his left hand, waving them at the cameras.

"Sarah Quinn and Zenith Beauty are running a massive scam on this city!" the man roared.

Reporters rushed toward the stage, raising their equipment to catch every single word. "They produce fake cosmetics that cannot even keep an actress on stage for five minutes!" the director yelled. "I demand a full refund on my deposits right now, or my lawyers will take Zenith Beauty to court by morning!"

Sarah marched down the central aisle, her heels striking the wooden floorboards with sharp clicks. She climbed the platform steps, her face tight with anger.

"Watch your words," Sarah warned, stopping directly in front of the microphone stand.

"You have no right to defame my company on live television," she declared, glaring at the director. "Every single product in our warehouse passed strict safety regulations. Zenith Beauty does not sell fake goods."

The supermarket owner sneered, leaning his face closer to hers. "Then why did your brand ambassador run out to her car like the building was on fire?"

Sarah turned her head toward the front row of seats.

"Chloe," Sarah commanded, her voice ringing across the stage. "Open the financial ledger right now. Issue a full refund to every single customer and distributor who asks for their money back."

A regional retail boss jumped up from the third row, shaking his fist at the stage. "The standard refund will not fix the damage to our store schedules!" the second man yelled.

Other business owners shouted in agreement, crowding against the front barrier.

"We lost days of promotional time waiting for this launch!" the retail boss screamed over the crowd. "Zenith Beauty must pay twenty percent interest on every single dollar we spent! Pay for our damages right now, or nobody leaves this building!"

Sarah opened her mouth to counter the ridiculous demand. A deep mechanical groan rolled across the ceiling, drowning out her words completely.

Heavy steel locks disengaged with a loud bang high above their heads.

The giant retractable roof of the convention center began to slide open. Bright daylight flooded the auditorium in massive beams, blinding the angry crowd. Dust drifted down through the air as the shouting distributors froze in total confusion.

A heavy roar of rotor blades shook the concrete pillars of the building. Wind blasted down from the opening, scattering paper flyers across the floor.

Departing investors stopped near the lobby doors, turning back into the hall to stare at the sky.

A custom matte-black helicopter dropped straight through the roof opening. The aircraft hovered ten feet above the platform before settling down onto the stage floor. The landing gear touched the wood with a heavy, solid thud.

Turbine engines slowed to a steady idle, blowing air across the front rows. Sarah shielded her eyes with her hand, stepping back toward the wooden podium.

Eight men in dark suits stepped out from the side hatch, forming a tight security perimeter around the aircraft.

The main cabin door swung wide. An armed guard stepped down, offering his gloved hand toward the interior. Her boots touched the platform as she walked into the bright light.

She stood tall, dressed in an expensive designer outfit that commanded absolute attention. Dark sunglasses covered her eyes, hiding her upper face from the flashing media cameras.

Sarah stared at the woman's sharp features, feeling an odd sense of recognition.

"Dela!" Chloe screamed from behind Sarah, covering her mouth in shock. "It's Dela! The biggest star in the country is here!"

The entire auditorium erupted into wild shouting as photographers rushed forward with their cameras. Sarah stood frozen on the platform, wondering why their nation's biggest star would land in the middle of her ruined event.

Diana pushed through the crowd, stepping onto the stage stairs with a cold look on her face.

"You have no idea who that is, Sarah," Diana said, her voice cutting through the noise. "That is not Dela."