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
Edward's POV The treadmill hummed beneath my feet. Mile six. The gym sat unused, just as it should. Just me and the mirrors lining the walls. Equipment gleaming. Temperature-controlled. Everything precisely maintained. My lungs burned. Cloth soaked through. I kept my eyes forward, watching nothi
Another reporter. "Can you be more specific about Monday's dinner?" "Key stakeholders were present. Board members. Investors. Ms. Perez—Edward's wife—offered a perspective on cultural work that clarified our approach considerably." The energy in the room sharpened. Alert. A woman in the front ro
And all I could think about was the petition sitting on my nightstand at home. "Sir?" I looked up. Leo was watching me. Waiting. "The press conference," I said. "Tell Victor's team Mrs. Valentine won't be available." Leo's expression didn't change. But his pause was longer than usual. "May I
Edward's POV The estate was quiet when I arrived. Erily calm. I walked through the front doors. Set my keys on the console table. Marble, cold under my fingers. The chandelier fractured light across the foyer, illuminating nothing that mattered. And stopped. Vivienne sat in the sitting room. Ba







