Tiana sat upright in her seat, her spine straight, shoulders squared, her expression carefully neutral. From the outside, she looked composed, even confident.
But beneath the tailored blazer and perfectly applied makeup, her heart thudded unevenly against her ribs.
Across the hall, Sarah sat at the center of the panel, calm and unreadable, listening attentively as one presenter after another took turns on stage. She hadn’t changed much, not really. Time had refined her, sharpened her presence, but that quiet authority she carried had always been there.
The same steadiness. The same way people leaned in when she spoke, even before she opened her mouth.
Tiana’s fingers tightened around the slim folder on her lap.
This opportunity mattered. More than she was willing to admit. This glob
