The effect did not unfold slowly; it spread in layers. By the next morning, Lucien's statement had moved beyond a moment and become a reference point. Every outlet that had questioned Seraphina's role now carried the same clip, the same sentence, the same tone that had removed hesitation from the conversation.
She is my wife. That is the only fact that matters.
The words appeared in headlines, in commentary segments, in analyst reports, and in private investor summaries. The narrative did not disappear, but it changed direction under the weight of that clarity.
This was what happened when a controlled environment met an uncompromising statement. The system that had been made to reinterpret things had trouble when there was nothing left to reinterpret. This caused confusion and stopped the conversation. Lucien had not provided a framework for debate. He had shut it.
The board was the first thing to changed in Ashford Tower.
