Rose Today was the day. My hands felt cold as anxiety seeped through my veins. But regardless, I had a feeling that'd slow me down, and that alone had me move from zero to a straight ten. I arrived five minutes early. That was deliberate. It was kind of off to be the first at a negotiation if I could avoid it, but five minutes early was not first... let's say it was intentional. Already in the room before the other side, seated, settled, not caught arriving. The room was on the second floor of a law firm that was not mine and was not Serena's, a neutral space arranged through the mediation protocol, Phila's team had made a proposal. I instantly agreed to the neutral location because agreeing to it cost me nothing, and refusing it would have suggested I was not confident. I was very confident. My legal team was three people. My lead solicitor, his associate, and a barrister named Fray, whom I had retained specifically for this. Best of it all, he had a reputation for settle
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