Darien answered quickly.
"Yes?"
"How did the market position go?" Adam asked.
Darien went silent for half a second. Then his voice changed.
"You called for that?" he asked. "I was going to report, but I thought you would call when you wanted me to exit."
"Report."
Darien breathed out, and this time excitement entered his voice.
"It moved almost exactly like you said," Darien replied. "The companies dropped and then held."
Adam listened without interrupting.
Darien continued, faster now. "The ones tied to imports are still under pressure, but they are not dead. We bought low, added slowly, and booked profit on the rebounds."
"Good."
"And there is another thing," Darien said. "Aster Core's name is starting to appear in business talk."
Adam's eyes narrowed slightly, but he did not speak.
"Not publicly in a big way," Darien added quickly. "Just enough. People are saying there is a small supplier that can deliver when others are delaying."
"Keep the position."
