“Claire,” Sarah said, her voice shaking. “There are reporters downstairs in the lobby. They’re asking for a statement regarding the Voss lawsuit.”

I stood up, smoothing the front of my blazer.

“Tell them we are preparing a formal response and will release it by the end of the day,” I said.

“And Claire?” Sarah added, holding out a tablet. “The lead investor from the Horizon Group just called. They want to suspend the funding meetings until this is resolved.”

I felt a cold weight drop into my stomach.

“Tell them I will call them personally in ten minutes,” I said.

Sarah nodded and closed the door.

I looked at Elena.

“We are running out of time,” I said.

“I’m going to the bank’s main branch,” Elena said, grabbing her coat. “I have a contact in their compliance department. Let’s see what we can dig up.”

“Be careful,” I said.

“I’m always careful,” Elena said, flashing a quick, hard smile.

After she left, I spent the next two hours on the phone with terrified investors.

I explained the timestamps, the original code repositories, and the malicious intent behind the lawsuit.