The change did not arrive with words; it showed itself in small movements, in pauses that lasted a fraction longer than before, and in the way Seraphina's attention moved through a room without appearing to shift at all.
Lucien noticed.
He did not need an explanation because he had spent enough time observing her to understand the difference between habit and intention. What others would dismiss as composure, he read as calculation.
That morning, she entered the executive floor at the same time she always did. Her pace was measured, her posture relaxed, and her expression calm. Nothing about her outward presence suggested tension; everything about her awareness did.
The corridor outside the strategy wing was quiet, as it usually was at that hour. Staff moved with purpose, conversations remained low, and the controlled environment of Ashford Tower held steady.
