(Ethan's POV)
Something was wrong. So wrong that I became very perturbed.
Power doesn't announce itself, especially when it's about to play you dirty.
It hesitates.
That's how I knew something was wrong.
By ten a.m., three approvals that should have been automatic are still pending—not rejected. Not questioned. Just… paused. Emails marked seen but unanswered. A meeting request was rerouted through legal. A calendar slot that vanishes without explanation.
I lean back in my chair, fingers steepled, eyes on the glass wall of my office. Below me, the company hums the way it always does—polished, efficient, deceptively calm.
Then, my phone vibrates.
Mira: They're slowing you down.
I didn't reply immediately. Instead, I pull up the internal dashboard again, scanning patterns. Finance approvals are staggered. HR requests kicked back for clarification that doesn't exist. A contractor is suddenly "unavailable." None of it is illegal. None of it is accidental.
