The second meeting took place without ceremony.
No driver. No escort. No visible security.
Elara arrived alone.
The building was smaller than the last—older, quieter, intentionally unremarkable. A place designed to be forgotten by anyone not meant to remember it. She entered without hesitation.
They were already waiting.
Three this time.
Different faces. Same structure.
“Thank you for coming,” the woman said. “We appreciate efficiency.”
“So do I,” Elara replied, taking her seat.
No pleasantries followed.
They didn’t ask how she was. They didn’t reference Elliot.
That, she realized, was deliberate.
“We’ll be direct,” one of the men said. “Your presence has accelerated certain timelines.”
“And disrupted others,” Elara added.
A faint smile crossed his face.
“Yes.”
The woman fo
