Jake had stopped sleeping properly.
It wasn't panic that kept him awake. He wasn't spiraling, wasn't losing control in any obvious way. But the moment he closed his eyes, his mind kept moving—testing angles, replaying conversations, revisiting every blocked path and delayed response until the pattern became impossible to ignore.
Every line of thought led him back to the same conclusion. This wasn't coincidence. It was coordination.
Banks didn't delay full settlement payments for no reason. Property agencies didn't suddenly stall approved tenants who had cash ready. Legal timelines didn't tighten overnight unless someone somewhere wanted pressure applied.
Someone was pulling strings. And whoever it was knew exactly how to do it quietly enough that nothing could be traced back cleanly. That part bothered him most. Not the pressure itself. The precision.
---
Monday morning
