The door didn’t open all at once.
It moved slowly.
Deliberately.
Just enough for the outside light to slip in, cutting softly across the polished floor of the boardroom.
At first.
No one paid attention.
The discussion at the table continued, voices low and controlled, numbers and projections flowing as they always did.
Until.
The sound came.
Heels.
Soft.
Measured.
Unhurried.
One step.
Then another.
It wasn’t loud.
It wasn’t disruptive.
But somehow
It was enough.
Because slowly.
One by one.
The voices in the room began to fade.
Not abruptly.
Not all at once.
But gradually.
Like something instinctive had taken over.
Heads turned.
Eyes lifted.
Attention shifted.
Drawn toward the doorway.
Drawn toward her.
Amelia stepped fully into the room without hesitation.
S
