Sydney didn’t pause for anyone to catch their breath.
By morning, Austin was back in the boardroom, seated at the head of the glass table while executives talked at him instead of to him. Numbers scrolled on screens. Projections climbed. Expansion plans unfolded like they were inevitable. Everyone seemed excited.
Everyone except him.
He nodded when expected. Asked the right questions. Played the part flawlessly.
But his mind kept drifting.
Selene alone in that apartment.
Diana’s message.
His parents’ careful silence.
“Austin.”
He looked up. Adam stood at the far end of the table, tablet in hand, eyebrows raised—the quiet signal that something mattered.
“Sorry,” Austin said evenly. “Continue.”
The meeting wrapped soon after. Executives filtered out. Adam sta
