The shift began quietly. Too quietly. That was what made it dangerous.
By mid-morning, Blackwood Enterprises was functioning as expected on the surface — meetings were held, reports were submitted, executives moved with their usual polished precision — but beneath that seamless structure, something had changed. It wasn’t visible in numbers alone, nor was it loud enough to trigger immediate alarm. It was subtler than that. It was hesitation.
Aria noticed it first in the legal division. A delay — only a few hours — in finalizing a countermeasure proposal that should have taken minutes. Then a second delay from compliance. Then a request for clarification from a department that rarely asked questions unless absolutely necessary.
Individually, they meant nothing. Together, they formed a pat
