Demonic Pornstar System

ChronosX released its official statement.

"At ChronosX, we take the recent allegations very seriously. The statements made by Alexandra R. will be carefully investigated through the proper legal channels. We believe in due process, fairness, and the presumption of innocence until proven guilty. We are willing to fully cooperate with authorities to ensure the truth comes to light. Our mission has always been innovation, transparency, and serving our global community with the highest integrity. We urge the public to refrain from rushing to judgment until all facts are verified."

The post was slick, polished, and corporate to the bone. Crisp white background, the ChronosX logo gleaming at the top, Elise's signature in gold at the bottom, as she was the vice chairman. They understood very well the chaos that would come if it were Maximilian himself who signed it.

This post was everything the PR team could cobble together to look respectable, to sound as if the company stood on firm ground.

But the internet wasn't buying it.

The comments hit like a tidal wave, drowning their shiny statement in venom.

- DungeonWidow92: Carefully investigated? My husband got eaten last week because of dungeon breaks while you pigs were forcing young women into sex work. Don't you dare talk to me about 'fairness.'

- ManaMom3: Innovation, transparency, integrity… Translation: We'll stall until the heat dies down. Pathetic.

- AwakenedWatcher: If Alexandra's lying, prove it.

- SlayerKid01: Ugly fat bastard CEO thinks we're dumb. You can't PR-spin it away. I already called all politicians I could get my hands on, demanding justice.

The replies stacked by the thousands, then tens of thousands. Memes of Maximilian's bloated face spread like wildfire, edited into dungeon bosses, into rats, into chained pigs squealing in front of the camera. Always, it was either Kaiden or one of his girls dressed in white, acting as the butcher.

The PR post meant to calm the storm had instead become a bonfire of ridicule.

…

"Well," Harold muttered, breaking the silence that followed the wave of backlash, "that didn't work."

"Oh, really?!" Maximilian exploded with spit flying out of his mouth as he spun on him.

Harold just lifted a hand, shrugging. "I was making an observation."

Lionel sneered across the table with his arms folded tight. "Quite the attitude you've got, Maximilian, despite being the man solely responsible for this disaster."

"Watch your tongue!" Maximilian barked. His bulk leaned forward across the polished table, making him appear as if he were a bull about to charge.

But before the tension could snap, Elise's voice cut in. "Lionel is right."

Maximilian's head snapped toward her, eyes bulging. Elise, unshaken, met his glare head-on. "It was your obsession with Nyx Cosmos and Kaiden Grey that dragged us here. You need to prove yourself. Your little rivalry that no one but you cared about." Her lip curled. "And Alexandra."

He stilled.

"Yes. Alexandra," Elise pressed, using her French accent to drive her points in. "You just had to put her in front of the camera, didn't you? To parade her around. Why? What was the point? You knew the rules as well as we did. The playthings are for us, not for the public. For our pleasure, not the world's eyes. But no, you said it didn't matter, that our political connections would protect us. You ignored every warning I gave you."

The truth lay bare on the table now, and not one of the others contradicted her. They all knew it.

ChronosX's empire had always been carefully balanced. The pornstars in their videos were employees, normal men and women in it for the cash or hungry for fame, willing to sign the papers and take the deal. If it hadn't been that way, the empire would have collapsed already.

No one could get away with enslaving dozens of humans and forcing them into sex work seen by billions.

Alexandra was the one exception. She hadn't signed. She hadn't chosen. She had been owned.

And that ownership had been broadcast to the entire world. A big mistake was made due to extreme hubris.

Anton finally broke the uneasy quiet. His tone was a lot more measured. "Even so, the boss is right. Some of the politicians may try to wash their hands now, yes. But the ones who dipped too deep into the honey jar? They can't escape. They've sampled our playthings. Enjoyed our gifts. Some have had their entire careers built on the relationship with us. Some have been in this with us since the academy days. If we fall, they fall."

He gave a sharp smile. "They're forced to ride this ship with us. Whether they like it or not."

Maximilian froze, then slowly, visibly, his quivering fury gave way to a twisted grin. His breathing steadied, and he puffed out his chest like a man trying to reclaim his throne.

"That's right!" he said, a low rumble of satisfaction in his voice. "Yes… That's right. They're bound to us. Bound by their own filth. They can't afford to cut me loose."

The feverish gleam returned to his bloodshot eyes.

That was until a new conference spread across the internet with perfect timing.

The holographic television display placed on the table blinked, turned on remotely by Maximilian's personal secretary. He was under orders to notify him of any important developments, and turning the TV on was done following that order.

The seal of the United States spread across the screen.

And then, the president himself appeared.

A hush fell over the table, sharp and immediate, as though the air itself froze solid.

Maximilian's grin hung half-formed, curdling on his lips as the voice of the leader of the free world filled the room.

"In light of the recent developments regarding the company known as ChronosX," the President began. His voice carried a firm gravity to it. "I feel it is my solemn duty as President of the United States to address the nation directly."

He paused, letting the silence hang heavy across the press hall.

"Let me be perfectly clear to the American people. No one - no corporation, no individual, no matter their wealth, their influence, or their connections - is above the law. Justice in this country is not for sale. It will not be bent to the will of the powerful. ChronosX will be thoroughly investigated."

The President leaned closer to the podium, gripping it with white knuckles and eyes oozing determination.

"This administration will spearhead the investigation personally. We will not rest until every thread of corruption, every abuse of power, and every crime hidden behind closed doors has been dragged into the open. If these allegations prove true, accountability will be absolute. And I promise the people this: justice will be meted out not in whispers, not in shadows, but in full view of the world."

The hall erupted into a flurry of camera flashes, the President's words already racing across newsfeeds and headlines. The feed cut to the seal again. Broadcast over.

Maximilian's face drained white.

"... You have got to be fucking kidding me," he whispered.

The silence that followed was unbearable, suffocating. Everyone in the room was staring, caught between disbelief and dawning panic. The empire's "untouchable" foundation had just been detonated on live television. After all, if the president himself was promising justice with his reputation on the line, then their political connections could do little to impede the law.

This was not meant to happen.