He reached Richard just as the laughter from the humiliating spectacle began to fade, replaced by confused murmurs as guests sensed something was amiss.

“Richard, we have a serious problem,” the CFO panted, his voice barely a whisper but carrying the weight of impending doom.

Richard frowned, still riding the high of his public display of power. “What could possibly be so urgent that it can’t wait?”

“The investment—the $800 million proposal—it’s been pulled. All financing has been frozen. We’re dead in the water,” the CFO continued, trying to maintain composure in the face of disaster.

Vanessa, who had been basking in the afterglow of their social triumph, turned pale as she caught the words. “What do you mean it’s been pulled? That’s impossible!” she exclaimed, her voice rising in panic.

The crowd, sensing the shift in atmosphere, began to hush, turning their attention to the unfolding drama. Richard’s face morphed from confusion to disbelief and then to rage.

“This is some kind of mistake,” Richard growled, snatching the tablet from the CFO’s trembling hands. His eyes scanned the screen, each line of code and error message confirming the nightmare that had descended upon them.

Vanessa tried to latch onto any shred of hope. “Call them back! Fix it, Richard! We can’t lose this deal!”

Richard’s hands shook as he attempted to regain control, but it was too late. The room that had once been filled with admiration now buzzed with speculation and schadenfreude. Those who had seen their treatment of Jamal replayed the incident in their minds, connecting the dots between the slighted man and the catastrophe unfolding before them.

In the quiet of his private office later, Richard sat staring blankly at the wall. The empire he had built with ruthless ambition and Vanessa’s social cunning was crumbling faster than he could comprehend. It was as if the foundation had been ripped out from under them, leaving nothing but a hollow shell.

Vanessa, no longer the confident socialite, paced the room, her mind racing for a solution. “There must be a way to fix this. We can apologize—make amends,” she muttered, more to herself than to Richard.

But deep down, she knew they had crossed a line with Jamal, a man they had underestimated entirely. The quiet man in the simple suit was not just another face in the crowd, but the very force that could make or break them. Their cruelty had cost them not only their dignity but their legacy as well.