ETHAN

The room fell silent, as if the air had been sucked out of it. I felt like I'd been punched in the gut.

"Excuse me?" I asked, trying to process the information.

My secretary nodded, her eyes wide with concern. "Yes, sir. It's all over the news. OmniCorp's CEO, Rachel Lee, has announced a merger with NovaTech, our largest competitor."

The room erupted into chaos, with shareholders shouting questions and concerns. I slammed my fist on the table, calling for order.

"Let's not jump to conclusions," I said, trying to regain control of the situation. "We need to understand the implications of this merger and how it affects our...