Cassian POV

The call came mid-meeting. I was half listening to some advisor drone on about the latest polls when my assistant walked in, face pale, voice low.

“They threw a stone through the window,” she said. “The child's window.” That was all I needed to hear.

I didn’t ask for permission. Didn’t care about the optics. I left the room with my tie undone, the heat in my chest building with every step. A rock.

Through a child’s window. Through Eli’s window.

That boy had ...