The twenty-four hours following Alvarado's call passed with an agonizing slowness that made Ivy's careful, structured training schedule feel almost absurd by comparison — running technical drills with focused precision while some distant, unseen court decided whether her father's entire, hard-won legacy might suddenly, catastrophically require refighting.
Alvarado called the following evening, exactly as promised, her voice carrying the particular gravity of confirmed, significant news.
"The court granted the motion," she said. "The hearing's been scheduled for three days from now, which means it will conclude, one way or another, before your Games officially begin. I know that removes the direct scheduling conflict, but I also know it means facing this uncertainty considerably sooner th
