Raphael's POV
It had been a good morning.
Which, looking back, should've been my first warning.
The Oraion board call went well, better than it had any right to. Elena had the updated compliance framework ready a full day ahead of schedule. Jackson handled the investor briefing without me asking him to circle back. Not even once. Even the coffee machine in the lobby, which had spent three weeks producing something that tasted like burnt rubber, had apparently been fixed overnight.
Clear sky. Good coffee. And at eight-seventeen, a text came in from Liana: Your flower is still alive, for the record.
I'd smiled at my phone like a complete i***t. Longer than I'd like to admit.
So yeah. Good morning.
I was coming out of Oraion's building just after one. My jacket was on and I was headin
