The headquarters of Ashford Holdings looked different at night; the building itself had not changed, the glass walls still reflected the city lights, the elevators still moved silently through the structure, and the executive floor remained as polished and carefully maintained as it had always been.
What had changed was the atmosphere.
Months ago, every late night had felt like preparation for another battle, another crisis, another threat, and another problem waiting around the corner; tonight felt different. For the first time in a long time, there was no emergency waiting on Seraphina's desk, no scandal demanding immediate attention, no media attack requiring a response, no hostile acquisition attempt, no hidden threat forcing her to calculate ten moves ahead.
The quiet felt unfamiliar.
