“No issues at all, Ms. Fortisiano. Everything’s running fine—it’s just that I still need a little more time to make sure everything’s completely safe,” Karenina replied from the other end of the line, her voice steady but cautious.

Ashley let out a long sigh, the weight of Mr. Adam’s advice finally sinking in. Maybe he was right—some things couldn’t just be handed over entirely to one person. Perhaps this was the moment to pull back, to stop giving Karenina unlimited ...