The moment Sophie spoke, the words themselves seemed to shift the ground beneath my feet. “It’s worse than we thought.”
The room seemed to shrink in on itself. I could feel the chill creeping back into my chest, the anxiety knotting up inside me once more. Whatever news Sophie had come to deliver, it wasn’t just business. It was something bigger. Something more personal.
Alexander’s hand, firm and steady, still gripped mine, but I could sense the same quiet tension that had been present before. He wasn’t showing it, but I knew him too well. We had faced many storms together, but something about this felt different. More dangerous. More insidious.
“I don’t understand,” I said, my voice rising slightly in disbelief. “What do you mean it’s worse? What’s happening?”
Sophie stepped into the room, her eyes darting between Alexander and me, searching for some kind of grounding in the storm. “Robert’s been planning this for months. It’s not just about the company anymore. He’s moving into our
