The silence didn't break so much as splinter, one small noise at a time — a phone ringing unanswered at the front desk, someone's chair creaking as they remembered they were supposed to be working, a printer somewhere spitting out pages nobody needed anymore.
Selene became aware of every set of eyes still lingering on her, and heat crawled up her throat in a way no boardroom negotiation had ever managed to produce.
"I should—" She glanced down at Rosie, still fastened to her side like a limpet, then back up at the sea of faces pretending very hard not to be watching. "I should get back to doing my work."
"Everyone." Zayden's voice cut across the floor, low but carrying, and the pretense of busyness collapsed instantly into actual busyness, heads dropping, keyboards clicking, phones answ
