The offices of Vale Organization headquarters occupied an entire section of the thirty-second floor. Frosted glass walls divided departments while rows of workstations stretched beneath cool white lighting. Outside the windows, the city moved through another ordinary morning. Inside, nothing felt ordinary.
People were still talking about what happened in the lobby.
Not openly.
Not loudly.
But they were talking.
Conversations stopped whenever supervisors walked past. Agents lowered their voices when elevators opened. Security personnel exchanged looks that carried entire discussions without a single word being spoken.
Everyone had seen it.
Qavael.
Cassian.
Blood on polished marble.
And Cael Alexander standing where the ancient founder had stood moments before.
Seraphina sat alone in her office reviewing records.
Three monitors displayed separate files.
Mission reports.
Psychological evaluations.
Personnel reviews.
Every document belonged to one person.
Cassian Vale.
