Sensing Jason's reluctance to speak,
I changed direction instead.
"Is Director Sophia adjusting well at the branch office?"
Jason stayed quiet for a moment longer, clearly caught off guard.
Then he answered carefully.
"Thank you for your concern, CEO Blackwood. She's an adult. She'll manage."he said simply.
After that, the conversation ended quickly.
A few more empty words.
Then he hung up.
I lowered the phone slowly, staring at the darkened screen.
Jason and Sophia were close.
Siblings who had always looked out for each other.
Now Sophia had been removed from headquarters.
No matter how well she performed at the branch office, returning to the center of power within the group would not be easy.
And all of it had started because of me.
Jason targeting Alicia was likely tied to resentment over that transfer.
But something about it still felt incomplete.
There was something else beneath the surface.
Something older.
Something connected to the past.
