Page 61 - SurprisingTruthFinal

Nicholas Boothman
The camera focused on the CEO, Robert Vance, a
man who, five weeks ago, could sway the markets with
a single, perfectly crafted lie. Now, he sat alone in a
sterile room, looking like a prisoner awaiting
execution.
The auditor, a small, unassuming woman promoted
minutes before the broadcast for her lack of
institutional ties, began the questioning, her voice thin
but unwavering.
“Mr. Vance, under the terms of the Global Mandate,
is Nexus 7 solvent?”
Vance swallowed hard, adjusting his tie, a purely
habitual gesture. He paused for five agonizing seconds,
wrestling with decades of financial conditioning.
“No,” Vance whispered, the single word sounding
louder than a thousand market announcements.
The auditor continued, relentless. “Is the currency of
the major Western powers, the U.S. Dollar, the Euro,
the Yuan, backed by anything other than collective
faith?”
Vance’s eyes darted toward the camera, pleading for
a way out that didn't exist. "No. It is a confidence
scheme. A fiction. The value is zero if the belief stops."
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