LOGINI ordered wine. The work wasn't finished. The room was quieter. She took the glass without comment. Drank. Set it down and kept writing. She spoke about the eastern corridor communities directly, without framing or adjustment, as if they existed in the room with us. Her hand moved as she talked, m
Edward's POV The door opened behind me. No knock. She came in already talking. "I need your numbers from Rotterdam before we fix anything else," she said. "The version you gave him assumes—" She stopped. I didn't turn immediately. Just reached for the towel, dragged it once over my face, then
The auctioneer's cadence moved through the wall. I had built something without him. That was still true. It would stay true. Whatever I said next didn't touch it. "I don't know," I said. "That's the honest answer. Not the managed version." I met his gaze. "I don't know if what's left is enough to
Alicia's POV The older man was still talking. "Seven years," he said. "Four jurisdictions. We moved water infrastructure across borders that hadn't spoken to each other in a generation." His hands traced corridors in the air between us. "The archive is the proof it happened. That it worked." He tu
“You entered without cause,” I said. “You stayed without one.” “I don’t know what this is between you two but—” “My wife.” No variation in tone. No additional weight needed. Alicia’s hand lifted a little, then halted mid-motion and settled again without completing the gesture. The woman exhaled
Edward’s POV “Forty thousand. Do I have forty-five?” The paddle was already raised. Alicia’s hand remained under mine, unchanged in position, as though neither of us had adjusted to its presence since it settled there. “Forty-five.” I raised. “Fifty. Fifty-five.” On the left, a man leaned forw
This morning, the Riverside Convention Center felt different. Alive. I stood in the back corridor leading to the main exhibition hall, listening to voices filter through the walls. Press setting up equipment. Staff doing final checks on lighting and sound. Ten minutes until the briefing. Elena a
Edward's POV She found me anyway. I'd chosen the back row intentionally. Furthest seat from the platform. Close to the exit. But her eyes swept the room as she walked down the center aisle, and when they reached me, they didn't stop. Didn't widen. Didn't falter. Just registered. Noted. Moved
"I don't care how I look." "You should." Her voice sharpened, blade-thin. "Waiting makes you vulnerable. Public uncertainty erodes power faster than failure. At least failure is decisive. Alicia's absence will be weaponized. By the board that thinks you're distracted. Competitors who think you're o
My hands clenched at my sides. Lucy saw it. Smiled again. "I'm not trying to hurt you, Edward. I'm trying to help you see reality." She stopped in front of me, close enough that I could smell her perfume. French. “She’s launching soon." I didn’t react. “Victor mentioned it after the conference,”







