Damon calmly opened his phone's browser, navigating to the Grand Meridian corporate website with deliberate slowness. Every tap echoed in the suddenly quiet lobby like gunshots. He scrolled methodically to the corporate partnerships section and tapped a press release dated exactly two weeks earlier:
Grand Meridian Hotels Announces Historic Partnership with Alexander Industries: $500 Million Development Contract Signed in Chicago Ceremony.
The headline filled his screen in bold corporate typography. Below it, a professional photograph showed Damon in a navy business suit, shaking hands with Grand Meridian's CEO, Patricia Blackwood. Both were smiling, surrounded by executives and architectural renderings.
"Interesting partnership you have here," Damon said, showing the screen to Elena with the same tone a professor might use to point out a student's mathematical error.
Her hands trembled violently as she read. The theatrical energy that had sustained her performance crumbled completely, replaced by naked terror.
"What does that have to do with anything?" she asked weakly, though her voice betrayed growing panic. Her grip on the black card loosened, nearly dropping it.
"Everything." Damon's smile widened slowly, like sunrise breaking over mountains. "I'm Damon Alexander, CEO of Alexander Industries."
Derek's laugh came out as a strangled bark. "Right! Sure you are. Prove it, then. And I'm Jeff Bezos having a casual Friday."
But Jake Morrison stepped back instinctively, his law enforcement training recognizing a fundamental shift in power dynamics. Something in Damon's posture had changed: not defeat, but revelation.
The crowd pressed closer, sensing the tide turning dramatically. Phones adjusted angles, capturing every micro-expression of the unfolding corporate drama.
Jennifer Cole pushed forward, her clipboard forgotten, but her skepticism intact. "This could still be fabricated. Websites can be manipulated. We've seen elaborate scams before."
Damon nodded appreciatively at her due diligence. "Excellent point, Jennifer. Let's verify through multiple independent sources."
He opened another browser tab, navigating to Forbes.com. His fingers moved with practiced efficiency, typing Damon Alexander CEO Chicago into the search bar. The results populated instantly like slot machine jackpots:
Damon Alexander, 45, Alexander Industries CEO, closes biggest Chicago development deal in decade.