Power rarely collapsed in public.

It thinned.

Thread by thread.

Amara saw it not in headlines, but in absences.

An empty chair at a quarterly strategy meeting. A name removed quietly from a press release. A funding commitment “under review” with no timeline attached.

None of it dramatic.

All of it cumulative.

She stood in the gallery before opening hours, lights still dimmed, the city barely awake beyond the glass. The quiet here felt different from the corporate quiet — less strategic, more honest.

Julian approached from behind, tablet in hand.

“It’s accelerating,” he said softly.

Amara didn’t turn. “In what way?”

“They’re restructuring two advisory boards entirely,” he replied....