The leak hit the company like a wildfire.
It started late in the evening, a quiet Sunday that promised rest but delivered chaos instead. An anonymous source had uploaded a trove of photographs and documents to multiple tabloid websites and social media channels. The content painted Tian Li Feng, the young and brash heir to Marvel Industries, in a damaging light.
The photos showed Tian in Monaco during his so-called "wild years"—the very years he'd always glossed over in public interviews and boardroom conversations. There were images of him at lavish parties, the kind where the champagne flowed freely and the music thumped until dawn. Smirks, half-empty glasses, and questionable company filled the frames. The papers whispered rumors of secret deals struck in shadowy corners of Monaco's exclusive clubs. One video clip showed Tian, clearly intoxicated, laughing as an unidentified man handed him a sealed envelope.
The headline screamed across every screen: "Marvel Heir's Monaco Scandal: Reckless, Irresponsible, Unfit to Lead."
By Monday morning, the scandal had erupted into a full-blown media frenzy. Tabloids raced to publish the most salacious details, while social media users dissected every image and clipped video. "#MonacoMess," "#TianTrouble," and "#MarvelMessiahOrMenace" trended worldwide.
Inside Marvel Industries' sleek, glass-paneled headquarters, the atmosphere shifted palpably. The PR team, led by Vivian Park, scrambled to respond. Vivian's phone buzzed relentlessly as reporters and bloggers clamored for statements. In an emergency meeting, Vivian presented a carefully crafted response: "Youthful indiscretion," she called it. "A phase every young heir passes through. What matters is his vision and dedication to Marvel's future."
But the words felt hollow, even to her. The company's image was bruised, and the wound was raw.
Tian sat quietly in his corner office, watching the storm rage through his monitors. His usual smirk was absent. He knew better than anyone how this could damage his reputation and his fragile standing with the board. More than that, the leak felt personal—like a calculated strike, not just random gossip.
His father, Li Feng, remained publicly silent. The chairman's stoic expression in the boardroom betrayed nothing. Yet, behind closed doors, Tian knew his father was unsettled. The old man's usual iron grip on the company seemed to falter just slightly when the scandal broke.
The boardroom meetings that followed were tense. Some members threw him wary glances; others whispered behind closed doors. Allies grew cautious, uncertain if Tian's reckless past would spill into Marvel's future.
The hardest to read was Vivian Park, whose cool demeanor hid a complicated mixture of disappointment, strategy, and calculation.
It was Jin Mei Xue who came to Tian one evening, her tone low and urgent. "This isn't just gossip or a PR disaster," she said, her sharp eyes locking onto his. "Someone wants to cripple you. This leak was deliberate—a message. They want you out before you even get started."
Tian's jaw tightened. "Then I'll have to fight."
Jin Mei nodded. "Carefully. This game's bigger than you think. And it's just beginning."
That night, as the city lights flickered below his office, Tian stared out into the darkness. The world was watching—and waiting. But Tian was no longer the reckless boy from Monaco. The game had changed. And so had he.