The email arrived at 3 AM Milan time, which meant Cecilia was either insomniac or calculating enough to know when Dante would be most vulnerable. He had been awake anyway, reviewing quarterly projections that looked increasingly grim, so he saw it immediately.

Subject, Operational Restructure Final Phase.

He opened it with growing dread.

Inside was a comprehensive proposal to dismantle every project Elena had initiated. All initiative postponed indefinitely pending market ...