The room was already tense before Alyssa arrived.

Board members filled the long table in rigid silence, tablets glowing faintly, coffee untouched. The air smelled of polished wood and restrained fear. This was supposed to be an emergency meeting—called hastily, quietly—but everyone knew it was something else.

A reckoning.

When the doors opened, conversation died instantly.

Alyssa walked in without hesitation, heels striking the marble floor with deliberate calm. She wore a tailored dark suit, sharp lines, no softness. Her hair was pulled back, exposing her face fully—no attempt to hide exhaustion, no attempt to soften the severity in her eyes.

She did not greet anyone.

She walked straight to...