The lobby of Limketkai Headquarters was quiet, unnaturally so. The rain had stopped, leaving puddles on the marble floor that reflected the cold glow of the overhead lights. Outside, the city hummed faintly, distant horns and murmurs of traffic blending into a low, constant white noise. Inside, Aira sat alone at a corner table, a small stack of envelopes, bank statements, and a tablet before her. The evidence had arrived hours ago, delivered with the kind of precision only Darius could manage, but he had left immediately afterward.
She was alone — and yet, she could feel the tension in the space like a living entity pressing against her. Every detail mattered: the angles of light across the polished floors, the faint echo of distant footsteps, the hum of the air conditioning. Her pulse re
