AVA'S POV
The air in the conference room was thick with anticipation.
Flashes from cameras bounced off the polished walls, and the low hum of murmuring reporters pulsed like electricity under my skin.
I sat still behind the long mahogany table, my palms resting firmly against the surface to ground myself.
Melanie sat to my left, calm but alert, flipping through the notes we had prepared the night before.
On my right was Amina, our lead communications strategist, giving last-minute cues into the microphone that fed to the event crew.
I'd been briefed a thousand times.
Still, nothing quite prepares you for the moment the world is watching.
I leaned forward slightly as the countdown from the technical team began. Five. Four. Three. Two. One.
A red light flicked on.
"We're live," Amina whispered.
I took a breath. "Good morning, everyone."
The room hushed.
"My name is Ava Monroe Kingsley. I'm the founder of the Rising Hope Foundation.
