Vanessa expected luxury, power, control rooms filled with screens and guarded secrets. That was how influence usually looked. Visible. Loud. Designed to impress but when Elena finally allowed her upstairs, none of that was waiting. The office was almost unsettling in its simplicity. Quiet lighting. Clean lines. Floor-to-ceiling glass overlooking the city. No excessive displays of wealth. No attempt to intimidate and somehow, that made it worse. Because real power rarely needed decoration.
Vanessa stepped inside slowly. Elena stood near the window, one hand resting lightly against the edge of a glass table. She didn’t turn immediately. Didn’t rush to acknowledge her and the silence itself felt controlled. Vanessa hated that.
“You wanted to see me?” Elena asked calmly at last.
Vanessa fro
