ckwood's world, rest was not a right-i

egan before she

in the quiet of her apartment. Ellie reached for it instincti

Black

by six. Confere

ng. No ex

int asking questions. Todd didn't summon people without intent. And if there was one thing she h

at her limbs. The city outside was barely awake, lights still dim, streets quieter

C was empty wh

g, glass walls that reflected her image back at he

ed precise

ledge it. He simply closed the door behind him and

" he

e ob

and slid it toward her. "This is not work you'll su

ned the

sitions layered over time like a map of quiet conquest. I

n't just

power arc

hings I shouldn't se

her closely

quickene

you understand the difference

d up at h

old information withou

m felt

t greedily, not hungrily, but analytically. She traced the patterns, the

uietly. "You corner systems. You make

pa

gaze sh

o

b their leverage. By the time they realize

le

closed t

d, "is why you

not pride, not relief, but awareness. She

ng tested f

ded with surg

did with it. She learned quickly that power was less about instruction and more about presence. She spoke on

n, exhaustion cl

r again-this tim

ry," he said, standing by the window, c

. "I followed e

lied. "That's

ightly. "I don

said, turning to face her. "That can e

harder than

to replace you,"

tentions are irreleva

liberately. Ellie became acutely aware of the room, the silenc

ause it is clean. Defined. Transactional. Th

gaze. "And if

on hung be

nt, Todd s

this time it didn

id softly, "s

Ellie coul

ore-the uneven hum of the refrigerator, the crack in the ceiling she had ignored for mo

cked he

essa

elf that was

mind. Transactional. Clean. Defined. He believe

asn't s

is eyes sharpened when she surprised him. The way he watched her-not posse

ent was nev

est came u

all enough to be dismissed by his competitors, but strategi

ing her spe

her, dismissed her politely, attempted to patronize h

ed his assumption

ing, the man was pale,

greement in hand, heart pounding-n

had

iting when

without comment, scanned it on

one," h

wo

an any praise she

n them was subtl

in the evenings. Not to ass

have done diff

itate during the

nk my competitor

ests. They were

ding honestly. Thoughtfull

d... li

ne unset

t physically, not explicitly, but psychologically. They

intox

dang

t came on a night

pty. Lights dimmed. The ci

fice door

nocke

me

ay she hadn't seen before. His tie was lo

d go home,

hould

pa

, he laughed. Just

becomi

hone

long moment. Then g

it

e

ere it ends

rt skipped.

ified. "The overlap. It's

ed. "And if

isunderstan

maybe you're afraid of what hap

ir sh

tood s

ing a thin l

kno

t happens when p

quietly. "They c

ackwood looked at her not a

t terri

ilding that night, she

elt m

idn't officially exist-but bo

ion was no l

was no lo

would not be survivab