Adrian did not sleep. He remained in the same office long after the city had quieted, long after the traffic lights below shifted into their slower rhythms and the buildings across from him dimmed one by one. The files remained open in front of him, but he was no longer reading them in the way he had earlier.
He was reconstructing.
Every document, every report, every timeline existed in his mind now as a structure that he could examine from every angle. He had always relied on precision, on the idea that information, when arranged correctly, would reveal the truth beneath it.
Tonight, the truth did not reveal itself easily.
It resisted him.
Victor remained in the room, though he understood that Adrian no longer required updates. He stood at a distance, watching carefully, because he had seen this state before. Adrian only reached it when something disrupted his understanding of control.
"You should rest," Victor said eventually.
Adrian did not look at him. "No," he replied.
