Madam Beckett let out a brittle laugh, thin and poorly timed, as if the sound alone might steady the ground beneath her.
"I don't understand," she said, lifting her chin despite the tightness in her jaw. "What enemy? I'm merely doing my job."
"Your job?" Eloi cut in smoothly before he took another step forward, unhurried. "Like quietly bribing these people to spread rumors and escalate the scandal about Mr. Ryley and the foundation?"
He let the silence settle just long enough to make it uncomfortable.
"And if you're here looking for the intruders from the other day, Madam," he added, tilting his head slightly, "I'm afraid you've wasted your trip."
Madam Beckett's jaw hardened. "Where are they?"
Eloi glanced at the watch around his wrist, the polished glass catching the thin shaft of light spilling through the half-open warehouse door.
"Judging by the time…" he said evenly, lowering his arm, "they should be about five minutes away from Shelter Bay."
