The silence that followed the board meeting was louder than any confrontation.
Elara felt it the moment the elevator doors closed behind her.
Lucas stood beside her, tall and immaculately composed, but the air around him had sharpened—like the calm before a controlled demolition. His expression revealed nothing, yet his presence pressed against her senses with an intensity she hadn't felt before.
The ride down was wordless.
She stared at the polished steel doors, watching her reflection flicker and blur, wondering when exactly she had crossed the invisible line from temporary solution to strategic liability.
The elevator chimed.
Lucas moved first, his hand brushing the small of her back—not gentle, not rough. Possessive. A signal to the world watching from the lobby.
The cameras were already there.
Elara didn't falter.
She walked beside him, spine straight, expression calm, even as flashes went off and reporters whispered behind carefully neutral smiles.
