The alert did not fade. It remained on the screen as if it demanded to be understood, not dismissed. Seraphina stood still, her eyes fixed on the words. The hidden contract had been triggered outside the system she had just secured, which meant everything she had done was incomplete.
Lucien did not look away from the screen. "You said it was not in the archive," he said.
Seraphina nodded. "Yes."
Lucien's voice remained steady, but there was tension beneath it. "Then where was it?"
Seraphina exhaled slowly. "It was kept separate on purpose," she said. "It was never meant to be found through standard review."
Lucien's expression hardened. "Then he built a path we could not see."
Seraphina met his gaze. "Yes."
Lucien crossed his arms. "And now he is using it."
Seraphina nodded. "Yes."
Lucien looked back at the alert. "What does it give him access to?"
