The message remained on the screen for less than ten seconds, then the monitor went black again. Silence settled heavily across the conference room at Ashford Tower while the emergency backup systems restarted one by one.
Lucien stepped forward immediately, his expression hardening. "Elias," he said sharply into his phone. "Lock down the internal network now."
Seraphina remained motionless beside the table; her pulse had not stabilised yet, not because of the system breach itself, but because of the sentence.
YOU REMEMBER MORE THAN YOU SHOULD.
The wording felt deliberate and personal, as though whoever sent it understood exactly how deeply it would affect her.
Lucien looked toward her. "Seraphina."
She blinked slowly and forced herself back into focus. "I am fine."
"You are not." His voice was calm but firm enough that she could not avoid the truth completely.
She looked away briefly. "No," she admitted quietly. "I am not."
