The call came at two seventeen on a Thursday afternoon.
Roman was mid-sentence in a contract review when Hartwell rang through on the direct line. Hartwell only used the direct line when something could not wait.
"Sir. We lost the Draven bid."
Roman set his pen down. "By how much?"
"Four percent above our ceiling. Whoever came in knew exactly where our limit sat and cleared it cleanly."
"Who submitted the offer?"
A short pause. "Montague Industries. Seraphina Montague personally signed it."
Roman said nothing. Outside his office window, the city moved through its ordinary afternoon. Thirty-two floors down, traffic shifted through an intersection. Up here, the only sound was the air system and the specific quality of silence that followed information landing in a room.
"Thank you, H
