Chapter 84
The first sign that peace was not the same as stillness came on a Tuesday.
It wasn't dramatic.
There were no coded messages or suspicious black vehicles idling across the street.
It was an email.
Subject line: Invitation to Speak – Global Ethics and Security Summit, Geneva.
Kiera stared at the screen longer than necessary.
Geneva meant diplomats.
Policy architects.
International regulators.
It meant visibility.
"You're frowning at a laptop," Kade observed from the couch, where he was halfway through reviewing foundation reports. "That's never a good sign."
She turned the screen toward him.
He scanned it quickly.
"That's not a threat," he said.
"I know."
"It's recognition."
She leaned back in her chair. "Visibility creates targets."
"Visibility also creates influence."
That stopped her.
Influence.
Victor Hale had wielded it like a weapon. Manipulated it. Corrupted it.
But influence in the right hands—
Could fortify systems before they fractured.
