Adrian’s POV
The silence lingering across the executive floor after Daniel Mercer’s termination felt thick enough to choke on. Employees avoided eye contact as security escorted him through the lobby carrying a cardboard box filled with the remains of his career, and the fear hanging in the air reminded me of blood spreading quietly through water.
Fear was useful in corporations like this because terrified people became careful, obedient, and predictable, and right now I needed every single person inside Aurelius Group afraid enough to stop making mistakes.
Outside my office windows, Manhattan disappeared beneath dark storm clouds while rain streaked against the glass in uneven patterns that made the entire city look distorted and restless.
I thought about how Ava must have felt that
