POV: Xavier
Xavier’s world was built on predictable vectors: ambition, competition, and calculated risk. Charlotte’s new strategy was none of these. It was a silent, surgical poison in the veins of his project.
She didn’t attack him directly. No press leaks, no boardroom challenges. Instead, she began poaching. Not the stars, but the vital organs: the senior site manager from Thornton Construction, the lead procurement specialist from his purchasing department, and the senior acoustical engineer from the consultancy. Mid-level, indispensable. They resigned with sincere, awkward apologies, citing “extraordinary opportunities” they “couldn’t refuse.” The salaries offered, he discovered through backchannels, were 40 to 50 percent above market. A blatant, predatory overpay.
Morale on the Ve
