The hallway narrowed. The noise of the office faded. Until it was just him. And the door. He stopped in front of it. For a fraction of a second. Then knocked.
Once. Controlled. And pushed it open. Inside, the room was quieter. Softer. The chaos outside barely reached here.
Amara had just settled onto the couch, her body angled slightly as she tried to find a comfortable position. The exhaustion she had been holding back was no longer hidden, written plainly in the way she leaned into the cushions, in the slow rise and fall of her chest.
She looked up as the door opened. A flicker of surprise crossed her face, but not alarm. Not yet.
Raymond stepped inside, closing the door gently behind him.
"Hello, Ms. Amara," he said, his voice measured, carefully neutral. "I was hoping to speak with you briefly."
She straightened just a little, out of habit more than strength, gesturing lightly toward the chair across from her.
