Three days later, the big cross‑team meeting finally happened. This time, it was set inside the sleek conference hall at Kensington Research Center.

Two days earlier, Vance had called Ashley to confirm the date. His voice had sounded worn but steady: “Sorry, but I’m buried in work. Can we hold the meeting here instead?” Ashley hadn’t expected his workload to be that insane—so heavy he couldn’t even leave the research building. Still, she’d agreed: “Alright, fine. I’ll go ...