Heart of stone
The bouquet arrived in the sterile light of dawn, a chilling harbinger of the psychological warfare to come. May, bleary-eyed and exhausted after another sleepless night spent poring over encrypted files and dodging board member maneuvers, found them propped against her office door. They were lilies, once symbols of purity and hope, now withered and decaying, their petals bruised and browning, their fragrance replaced by the faint, metallic scent of death.
A small, unmarked card was tucked amongst the decaying blooms. May's hand trembled as she picked it up, a sense of dread washing over her. The message was simple, chillingly concise, written in elegant, flowing script: