He was talking about everything else.
The media. The comments. The narrative. Rowan.
Luca shifted slightly beside me.
Coach continued.
“You don’t get to control how people interpret you. You only control what you give them.”
A pause.
“And right now, you’re giving them too much without realizing it.”
That hit differently than before.
Because it wasn’t about mistakes anymore.
It was about presence.
ROWAN
Bennett handed me a printed brief.
“Final NYC instructions,” she said.
No emotion.
Just procedure.
I opened it.
My eyes stopped immediately.
Assigned Feature Subject: Mason Reed — Final Pre-Departure Profile Piece
Not interview.
Not draft.
Final piece.
My stomach tightened slightly.
Mia saw my face instantly.
“Oh,” she said. “That’s escalation.”
I didn’t answer.
Because it was.
Not dramatic escalation.
Structural.
Official.
Locked in.
