Chapter 193: Lucas Questions the Timing

Lucas Reed had learned long ago that timing was rarely accidental.

He stood at the edge of the executive conference room, tablet resting against his forearm, watching Nathaniel through the glass wall before entering. The board meeting had ended ten minutes earlier. The others had filed out with their usual combination of satisfaction and unease. Nathaniel remained inside alone, jacket still on, hands braced on the table as he stared at the city beyond the windows.

Virex City gleamed back at him, orderly and untroubled.

Lucas knocked once and stepped in without waiting for permission.

“You blocked the consortium,” Lucas said, not as a question.

Nathaniel did not turn. “They were attempting to acquire regulatory leverage t