The announcement came the next morning.
Jessica had barely slept. The office was still buzzing about Horizon’s twenty-billion-peso pledge, and she had spent most of the night reading and rereading the news until the words lost all meaning.
By the time she got to Echelon, her coffee was cold, her blouse slightly wrinkled, and her mind a tangle of dread she couldn’t name.
“Jessica,” Carrie called from her office door, her tone brisk but warm. “Got a minute?”
Jessica straightened in her seat, forcing her shoulders back. “Yes, ma’am.”
Carrie gestured for her to come in. The blinds were half drawn, the morning light cutting sharp across the glass table. On it sat a folder embossed with the Horizon Foundation’s gold logo.
“Close the door, please,” Carrie said.
Jessica obeyed, her pulse al
