(Lena’s POV)

The rain outside had thickened into a steady curtain against the glass, soft but relentless. The boardroom, now emptied of its audience, felt cavernous. The air still carried the echo of voices, accusations, alliances, false civility.

Damian stood motionless by the window, the city lights scattering across his reflection like shards of broken glass. I waited for him to speak, to do something, but he only watched the storm. Every muscle in his back was tight, the line of his ...