CHAPTER 101 — THE COST OF STANDING
The aftermath did not arrive with noise.
It arrived with weight.
Elena felt it in the stillness of the morning, in the way the estate seemed to breathe more slowly, as if even the walls were recalibrating after the rupture of the night before. Chapter one hundred had ended without closure, and that alone was its own message. Nothing had resolved. Nothing had retreated.
This was the space where consequences gathered.
She rose before dawn, the sky still bruised with fading darkness, and dressed with deliberate care. Not for appearance, but for alignment. Every decision now had to sit correctly in her body before it could exist in the world. If something felt wrong, it would cost more than reputation.
When she entered the main conference room, Adrian and Marcus were already there. No greetings were exchanged. None were needed.
Marcus broke the silence first.
