The room was already full before he walked in.
Not noisy, not restless, just settled in that quiet way that comes when people who understand power are made to wait for it. No one was checking their phones openly. No one was speaking above a controlled murmur. Conversations stayed low, brief, unfinished, like nobody wanted to be the one saying something that might be remembered later.
They all knew why they were there.
Not the details, not the exact wording, but the direction was already clear. Signals had moved ahead of this meeting. Calls had been made. Quiet instructions had already started shaping behavior before anyone stepped into this room.
By the time Michael arrived, most of the work had already begun.
The door opened without announcement.
