CHAPTER 109 — THE BURDEN OF CHOICE
The first thing Elena noticed was the change in how people waited.
It was subtle, almost imperceptible to anyone who wasn't paying attention. Messages no longer arrived with urgency sharpened by fear or ambition. They arrived measured, carefully structured, almost deferential. Requests were no longer framed as necessities. They were framed as considerations. Invitations came with flexible timelines. Decisions were deferred rather than forced.
People were no longer pushing their way toward her.
They were waiting for her to move.
That realization settled deeper than any threat ever had.
Waiting created expectation, and expectation, once formed, was harder to dismantle than opposition. Elena understood that better than most. Pressure could be resisted. Hostility could be confronted. But silent reliance—quiet dependence—crept in unnoticed and rooted itself before anyone thought to challenge it.
