“The board of directors just approved an update,” I said, keeping my voice steady, carrying the authority of a woman who still owned thirty percent of the company’s stock. “If we don’t play this tribute, the board will be looking for a new technical director tomorrow.”

Marcus looked at the drive, then down at the ballroom floor where Jared was now taking his place near the stairs of the stage.

“Alright,” Marcus said, taking the drive from my fingers. “Where do I insert it?”

“Right after the promotional reel,” I told him. “Override the primary video feed, and make sure the audio levels are set to maximum.”

I watched him plug the drive into the console, the progress bar loading the file onto the master screen.

My heart hammered against my ribs, but my hands remained perfectly still.

I left the booth and walked back down to the ballroom floor, standing near the heavy velvet drapes by the exit doors.

The lights in the ballroom began to dim.

The loud chatter of the crowd subsided into a quiet murmur as the giant LED screens on either side of the stage lit up with the Harlan Media logo.