Elena didn’t sleep much again.
She kept turning the same things over in her head: the audit request, the HR call that wasn’t really about settling in, the journalist’s message, Sophia’s visit, Crowe’s smile across the table. None of it was loud. That was what made it worse. Everything came wrapped in politeness and procedure, the kind of pressure that looked reasonable on paper and still managed to sit on your chest at three in the morning.
By the time she reached the office the next day the tiredness had settled behind her eyes. Adrian was already there, jacket on, standing at the window with his phone pressed to his ear. He glanced at her, pointed to her desk, and kept talking. She closed the door quietly and sat down.
When he finished the call he didn’t sit.
“Crowe’s pushing the aud
