Louisa's pulse thunders in her ears as the moment freezes in time.

Her gaze darts across the room, first to the audience, then to the judges, and last to Karen and the other representative from her company, who are wearing terrible looks of helplessness.

The clicks of cameras and frantic texting on phones punctuate the swell of voices in the crowd.

There is nothing she can do to stop her impeccable reputation, which has been painstakingly cultivated over years, from collapsing in real time.

At the center table of Modu Techs delegation, Cordelia sits with confidence in her sharp ivory blazer.

Her carefully composed demeanor give no hint of the...