POV: Adrian
Marcus Hale requests a meeting at 6:12 a.m.
The notification appears on my secure tablet before sunrise, flagged by legal, security, and communications simultaneously.
He didn’t contact Lydia.
He contacted me.
That alone tells me he understands the hierarchy has changed.
I read the message once.
Then again.
Request: Private conversation with Lydia Cole. Personal matters unresolved. No media. No legal presence.
The wording is careful.
Non-accusatory.
Almost respectful.
Marcus has learned something since losing control.
Or he is pretending to.
I set the tablet down and continue buttoning my cufflinks.
Outside the penthouse windows, the city is still gray with early morning haze. Markets will open in two hours. Three acquisition calls wait on my schedule. Hale stock
