The betrayal did not come with a scream.

It came with a signature.

Maya watched the digital document finalize on her tablet, the soft chime barely audible beneath the hum of the private lounge. Across the table, Director Halden—one of Davin’s most loyal men—sat rigid, his fingers clenched so tightly around his glass that the ice inside cracked.

“That’s it,” he said hoarsely. “Once this goes through, there’s no turning back.”

Maya tilted her head, studying him like a wound that had finally begun to bleed.

“There was no turning back the moment Davin decided you were disposable,” she replied calmly.

Halden’s jaw tightened. Sweat beaded at his temple. “He...