Real Threat Approaching

Cassie didn’t answer the unknown call.

She stared at the screen for several seconds longer than necessary, her thumb hovering just above the red button as if the smallest movement might trigger something irreversible.

When the vibration stopped, she exhaled slowly, slid the phone into her bag, and forced herself to walk into the meeting room as though nothing had happened.

But something had happened. She could feel it.

The meeting passed in a blur of projected charts, corporate jargon, and nodding executives, Cassie contributing when needed, her tone professional and steady, yet her thoughts were elsewhere, circling back to Lydia’s warning, the unknown woman, the assumption that hatred could be recruited like a weapon.

This wasn’t a reckless enemy.

This was someone who understood waiting, like a predator.

When the meeting finally adjourned, Cassie gathered her things quickly, excusing herself before Jonah could ask why she seemed quieter than usual.

She didn’t want witnesses when sh