The fracture didn't show all at once. It revealed itself in pauses. In things unsaid. In the subtle recalibration of distance between two people who had once moved in perfect sync.
By morning, the city was already reacting again. Not loudly. But differently. Financial analysts began shifting their time. Coverage softened in some places, sharpened in others. The narrative was no longer about scandal. It was about stability. And whether Blackwood Enterprises still had it.
Lucien Blackwood was standing in his office with the skyline rolling out in front of him. He was not viewing it, however, this time. His eyes were on the image in his mirror.
Not a man himself. However, the area next to him. Empty. That was new.
A soft knock broke the silence. “Come in.” His assistant stepped insi
