The storm broke quietly.
No alarms. No press swarm. No screaming headlines splashed across Sheila Feint’s phone when she woke up the next morning. Just a single notification that sat there like a loaded weapon.
Unknown Sender: We should talk. Today.
Sheila stared at it for a long moment, heart thudding against her ribs. She hadn’t replied last night. She’d needed sleep. Space. Time to convince herself that ignoring problems made them less real.
It hadn’t worked.
She rolled out of bed, muscles tense, mind already racing through worst-case scenarios. Carter. Media. Leaks. Or something worse something that involved Atticus Finch more deeply than she’d already been dragged.
By the time she reached the arena, she’d made a decision.
She wasn’t running.
The parking lot buzzed with early-m
