Meadow's POV
Silence is rarely empty.
In rooms like this, silence is a calculation.
The four of us sat around the table while the river moved slowly outside the window, dark water reflecting the fractured lights of the city.
Tyler leaned back in his chair like he was exactly where he wanted to be.
Victor Hale sat opposite him, posture calm, fingers loosely resting against the stem of his glass.
Alaric remained beside me, still and composed, the quiet gravity he carried making the air feel slightly denser around him.
Four different philosophies of power.
Four completely different ways of seeing the board.
Victor broke the silence first.
"You arranged this meeting," he said to Tyler. "Which suggests you have a proposal."
Tyler's smile returned faintly.
"Observation," he corrected.
"That sounds like avoidance."
"It's actually efficient."
Victor tilted his head slightly.
"Explain."
Tyler gestured casually toward the city outside the window.
