Seraphina's Point Of View
For a split second… Just a split second, I saw it.
Panic.
Raw and unfiltered, it flashed across Simon's face before he could cage it behind his usual mask of authority.
My lips twitched with satisfaction.
There you are.
He coughed abruptly, straightening his suit as though the gesture alone could stitch his composure back together. "That… that won't be necessary," he said, his voice just a fraction too tight, betraying the calm he tried to project. "They don't have to authorize it."
I raised a brow, letting the silence stretch between us. "They don't?" I echoed softly, my tone deceptively mild.
"No," he snapped quickly… too quickly. The word came out sharp, defensive. "You're fired and that's it."
