The word landed, shattering like glass.
Even Mr. Banner seemed to suck in a quick breath. A few people blinked, clearly caught off guard by the certainty in his tone. I felt my pulse stutter, heat rushing back to my face as the meaning sank in.
Then he did something completely uncharacteristic in this corporate setting.
Oblivion began to clap.
Once.
Twice.
A third time.
The sound was utterly shameless, cutting cleanly through the silence. His applause felt like a beating drum from the head of the table and his attention never left me. He didn’t look around to see if anyone followed. He didn’t care whether this was appropriate or unexpected. He simply acknowledged what he’d seen, on his own terms. And my response was as if my skin was suddenly being touched by the sun. My cheeks burned, and embarrassment made my skin clammy.
But to make it worse, after a heartbeat of stunned hesitation, the rest of the room scrambled to catch up. Hands came together in uneven bursts. Applause spread awkwardly from one end of the table to the other as people exchanged confused glances and forced smiles.
Jennifer’s clapping was stiff and reluctant, her expression tight as she stared down at the table. Mr. Banner recovered quickly, nodding along as though this had been his plan all along.
As for me, I stood there, frozen, my cheeks still trying to melt their way down the rest of my face. My hands still braced against the table as the sound washed over me. I wasn’t sure where to put myself, how to receive it, my chest tight with a mix of relief and disbelief that made my head spin.
Oblivion finally stopped clapping, and naturally, everyone followed without question.
“Well done, Miss Shadowmere… well done,” he said, and the praise was far from simple. It was personal, and somehow far more overwhelming than the applause itself.
My throat tightened as I nodded, the words lodging uselessly somewhere behind my ribs.
“Thank you,”I managed, my voice softer than I intended.
He inclined his head once, satisfied.
It was also at this point that my boss cleared his throat loudly, seizing the moment.
“Yes, well,” he said, already shifting into damage-control mode.
“We’re very pleased with the direction this has taken. Of course, if there are any other concepts you wish to see, we do have…”
“No,” Oblivion said sternly, interrupting him and shutting down even the idea of something else.
The single word stopped Mr. Banner cold and he faltered, his mouth snapping shut as Oblivion leaned back once more, folding his hands together as though the matter was already settled.
“This is precisely what I want,” Oblivion continued, staring straight at me when he spoke, and I couldn’t help the little shiver that rippled down my spine.
“And I would like to discuss the next steps privately.”
The implication hung heavy in the air, making Mr. Banner blink before nodding quickly.
“Of course. Absolutely,” he replied, now motioning for everyone to leave, which most seemed more than eager to do. All but Jennifer, who looked far more eager to be sitting on Oblivion’s lap and walking her clawed fingernails up his suit jacket. Not that he had even spared her a glance this entire meeting.
Chairs scraped as people began to stand, the meeting dissolving into murmurs and side glances as the room emptied with surprising efficiency. And as the last of my colleagues filed out, I caught myself watching Oblivion, the way he commanded the space without effort. How quickly everyone had fallen into line. It wasn’t his office. It wasn’t his business. And yet, with a few measured words, he had bent the room to his will.I wondered, not for the first time, if this was what always happened around him.
The boardroom felt too quiet without everyone else in it, the polished surfaces reflecting my own uneasy expression back at me as I gathered up my things. Oblivion remained seated, composed, and unhurried, as though the room were still full and waiting on his command.
As for me, I was the last to leave, despite being the most eager of all. But just as I was about to step through and finally make my escape, the sound of my name stopped me cold.
“Miss Shadowmere…”
I swallowed hard before looking back in time to see Oblivion stand, making me wonder if he was about to follow me. After a sharp tug on his cuff, he looked up, pinning me in place with a warning before he spoke…
