The private roundtable took place in a room separate from the main conference hall. Attendees accessed it through a corridor with frosted glass panels and security personnel who stayed quiet. The list of participants had been set weeks earlier. Each seat was assigned carefully.
The table was long and oval, dark wood polished smooth. Screens were built into the surface at each seat, angled toward whoever sat there. There were no nameplates. None were needed.
Arianne walked in with Franz. Julian was already there, talking quietly with a member of an infrastructure group. Dominic was at the far end of the table, looking over a document on the screen in front of him.
No one stiffened when they crossed the threshold. Still, everyone registered who had entered.
The seating made the room's alignment obvious.
