The air inside the corner office of Vault Guard Financial's primary branch was freezing, but it did nothing to cool the sweat beads forming on Chief Investment Officer Robert Crane's brow.
He stood behind his massive mahogany desk, his knuckles pressed hard into the polished wood. On the wall monitors behind him, the live global order books for gold showed a flat line of total stability, but the internal systems of Vault Guard were flashing rows of cascading red alerts.
The heavy glass door clicked open. Julian, the senior vice president of marketing, stepped in without sitting down.
"The network just confirmed it," Julian said, his voice flat. "Our prime-time sponsorship slot for the evening block is out. They're running a live public apology to Golden Investments at noon. They told our reps that keeping our logo on the header right now is a brand liability."
