“I don’t,” I admitted.
Her eyes narrowed at my tone—too even, too collected.
David and Kevin trickled in next, wearing matching expressions of exhaustion and irritation. They didn’t bother to look at me. They’d been agitated with me all week—ever sincethe breach had blown a hole through our stability, and I’d come back from Falkirk with nothing concrete to give them.
No timelines.
No answers.
No real explanation of the “crisis control meeting” I’d supposedly had with Damien.
They hadn’t said it aloud, but the frustration hung in the air like static. We were supposed to be a team. And I’d been keeping things from them.
Not by choice. Not entirely.
But the distance was there.
Jennifer crossed her arms. “Well? Any thoughts? Theories? Feelings?” she asked pointedly.
I opened my mouth—and the conference room door clicked open behind me.
The air changed. Every head turned.
Damien stepped fully into the room, the door clicking shut behind him like a final punctuation mark. His presence shifted the energy instantly—every irritation, every whispered complaint, every trace of sleep-deprived frustration evaporating under the weight of his attention.
“Good morning,” he said, extending his hand to me.
I accepted it, shaking once.
David straightened so fast his chair squeaked.
Kevin cleared his throat, trying to look composed.
Jennifer’s expression cooled into something sharp and assessing.
Damien acknowledged each of them—professional, measured—before his attention landed on me and stayed a fraction too long.
“Thank you all for making time on short notice,” he continued, slipping a folder onto the table as he took the seat at the head.
I followed his lead, lowering myself into the chair—and immediately winced as a bolt of pain shot across my skin.
Damien’s focus flicked to mine, bright and knowing, a smile ghosting across his mouth—there and gone in a flash. So quick no one else would’ve noticed. So sharp it sent heat rushing up my neck.
I forced my posture neutral and reached for my notebook like nothing had happened.
He cleared his throat, dragging his attention from mine. “I first want to acknowledge your grace as we looked into the breach. I know the last week or so has been… difficult for everyone.”
David huffed quietly.
Kevin muttered something that sounded likeyou think?
“But I’m pleased to announce that Falkirk has finished our investigation into the breach,” he continued. “And as of this morning, the situation has been handled.”
Handled.
The word dropped like a stone into water, sending ripples through the room.
Jennifer’s eyes cut to me again—quick, sharp—like she was waiting for a cue I didn’t have.
