Meanwhile…
Downstairs, Adrian's study was unusually quiet.
The heavy oak door sealed the room from the rest of the mansion. Thick curtains half-drawn against the late afternoon light left the space in a wash of muted gold and shadow. The air carried the faint scent of old paper, polished wood, and the residual warmth of coffee that had long gone cold on the side table.
Adrian sat behind his massive desk, posture straight, shoulders set in the familiar line of control. A tablet glowed in front of him. Several documents lay spread across the polished surface in precise order, contracts, financial projections, signatures waiting. His fingers moved with quiet efficiency as he flipped through one page, then another, eyes scanning every line without missing a detail.
