Three weeks after Drake's departure, Senna brought disturbing news to Mercer's office, her expression carrying genuine alarm rather than her usual composed efficiency.
"Three of our northern trade contacts have severed ties," she said, laying out correspondence across his desk. "All citing sudden, unexplained preference for exclusive arrangements with Drake's territory instead."
Mercer scanned the letters quickly, recognizing immediately that the timing couldn't represent simple coincidence. "He's moving already."
"It appears so. And not through simple competitive pricing, the way Hollis once tried against us. These merchants are terminating long-standing, mutually beneficial relationships abruptly, without the kind of careful negotiation that typically precedes such significant busines
