"Lynn Graves, is this how you conduct the business of the Council? Do you mean to tell me that a Grade II — Full Director of your standing doesn’t even know the name of her own personal secretary? If this is the level of attention you pay to the people around you, I shudder to think how you're handling the public interest."
Donovan Bell’s voice, transmitted through the receiver, was no longer merely cold; it was a sharpened blade, cutting through the stagnant air of the office. The Governor of the Midlands was known for his magnanimous public persona, but in the private channels of the Provincial Committee, his disapproval was a career-ending event.
"If your attitude toward your own staff is this dismissive," Bell continued, his tone dropping into a lethal, quiet register, "then I have t
