Damage control was never about stopping the fire.
It was about deciding what was allowed to burn.
Lucien understood that better than anyone. By morning, he had already made three calls that would never appear on any official log and canceled two meetings that would have cost him leverage later. The world believed chaos was unfolding inside Blackwood Group.
In truth, it was being managed—quietly, ruthlessly.
Seraphina watched him from the far side of the office as he ended another call, his expression unreadable. He looked composed, but she knew the signs now. The stillness. The careful economy of movement.
This was when he was most dangerous.
“They’ve shifted the narrative,” he said finally, setting his phone down. “From suspicion to inevitability.”
She nodded. “They’re trying to ex
