The pressure didn't announce itself.
It never did.
Nyra felt it first as a change in rhythm. Emails came faster. Deadlines tightened. Meetings multiplied. Zurich stopped feeling orderly and started feeling crowded.
Too many eyes.
Too many questions.
The decision came quietly.
"Trip's being cut short," the Zurich lead said during a brief check-in. "ValeTech wants the core team back home immediately."
Nyra nodded once.
No reaction.
But something in her chest tightened.
Back home.
Eastside was waiting.
She packed that night, movements precise, efficient. Hoodie folded. Laptop secured. Passport slipped back into her bag like it had never been a problem at all.
Still… she felt it.
That itch between her shoulders.
Adrian didn't seek her out.
Not at the office.
Not during transit.
Not even at the airport lounge.
Professional distance held.
But the silence between them was heavier than words.
On the flight, Nyra stared out the window, city lights disappearing beneath the clouds. Zurich faded fast. Too fast.
She thought of Shark.
Of his warning.
Of disappearing being dangerous.
She sent one short text before the plane took off:
Back soon.
The message delivered instantly.
No reply.
Across the aisle, Adrian sat rigid, eyes fixed on his tablet though the screen hadn't changed in minutes.
Back home meant variables.
Back home meant the world Nyra never talked about.
And for the first time since meeting her, Adrian wasn't sure he had leverage there.
That bothered him more than he liked.
The plane lifted.
Two lives, two worlds, moving closer to collision.
Nyra closed her eyes as the engines roared.
Whatever was waiting for them back home…
It wasn't going to stay quiet much longer.