ng away on her laptop, the silence between us a heavy, suffocating blanket. I focused on the road ahead, my face a neutral mask. My non-intervention was c

ur four-person team was already there, doing final checks on our gear. As we got out

om the driver's seat, all charmin

he announced, his voice a little too loud

t up. "Alex! Wh

Then he turned to my team, extending a hand to Mark. "Alex Thornton. I'm a consultant on th

is expression polite b

matter how important, had no place in our operational space. Alex's attempt to be chummy fell flat, the a

his hand resting on her arm. I didn't need to hear the words. I could see the result in the

sharp and laced with an autho

to look

loud enough for the whole team to hear. "He has my full clearance as the lead tech

nical attachment, an expert in her field, but she had no command authority over my agents. Her d

eline, I would have been mortified. I would have pulled her aside, argued

d at Sarah, then at Alex, who was now smirking behind her shoulder. Let her. Le

at. I turned back to my team. "Le

to assert her dominance. My calm acceptance left her with no battle to fight, making her outburst look petty and unprofessi