Elena didn’t sleep so much as drift in and out of the same uneasy loop.
The board request sat in her mind like a physical object. Fifteen minutes on an agenda. Factual points only. Legal language. None of it sounded dramatic when listed like that. All of it felt heavier once she tried to close her eyes. By morning she had the tired, hollow feeling that came from too many nights spent turning the same problem over without finding a new edge.
She reached the office before eight. Adrian was already at his desk, the formal response from legal open on the screen in front of him. He glanced up when she entered.
“You’re early again.”
“So are you.”
A faint, humourless breath left him. “Read this. Tell me if any of the factual lines need correcting.”
Elena stood beside the desk and read throu
