Inside the conference room, everyone was already seated when Ares walked in. The chatter stopped instantly, and people quickly stood to greet him. The warmth he had shown earlier in front of Winona was gone, replaced by his usual cold, serious demeanor. The once lively room fell into an uneasy silence.

“Let’s make this quick. I have something to do,” he spoke and took his seat at the head of the table.

Everyone followed, waiting quietly for his signal to begin. Before the meeting could ...