THE INTERVIEW was scheduled for the following afternoon.
Unlike the sensational podcasts Camille had chosen, this program had built its reputation on long-form conversations with entrepreneurs, economists, and technology leaders.
The host, Mara Villanueva, was known for asking difficult questions without turning them into spectacles. When Lucien's communications team suggested the interview, Sophie agreed on one condition.
"No scripted answers," she said as a makeup artist finished adjusting the lights. "If people are going to judge me, I'd rather they judge my actual words."
Mara smiled from across the studio. "That makes two of us."
The cameras rolled.
After discussing Sophie's cybersecurity company and the growing sophistication of organized cybercrime, Mara gently steered the co
