The message from the previous night did not leave Seraphina's mind. She arrived early at Ashford Tower, earlier than usual, and the building was still quiet. The silence helped her think, but it did not calm the unease settling beneath her thoughts.
Vale Holdings.
Adrian had started moving around it again.
Seraphina stood in the strategy room, reviewing the limited information they had. The private negotiations remained unconfirmed, but the pattern felt familiar.
Lucien entered a few minutes later. "You did not sleep," he said.
Seraphina did not look at him. "I slept enough," she replied.
Lucien stepped closer. "That is not what this looks like," he said.
Seraphina turned toward him. "We do not have time to slow down," she said.
Lucien studied her for a moment, then nodded. "What did you find?" he asked.
Seraphina tapped her tablet and pulled up a set of internal documents. "These are the preliminary hiring requests submitted to Vale Holdings this morning," she said.
