The conference room had been prepared to project confidence; every detail had been considered. The lighting was bright without being harsh, the seating arrangement encouraged openness and the backdrop displayed Blackwell International's logo beside a simple statement about accountability and future growth, but none of it mattered.
Adrian knew that before he stepped onto the stage, the problem was no longer presentation; the problem was belief. People only accepted reassurance from leaders they still trusted; trust had become the one thing he could not manufacture.
A communications assistant adjusted a microphone clipped to his jacket. "Five minutes," she said quietly.
Adrian nodded.
The woman hesitated. "You look tired."
A few months ago nobody would have dared make such a personal observation, but now she said it without thinking; that alone revealed how much had changed.
"I'll survive," Adrian replied.
