Naomi’s Pov

The room was bigger than I expected.

Not grand. Just wide. Long table. Rows of chairs behind it. Cameras mounted high enough to feel distant but close enough to remind you that nothing said here would stay contained.

I walked in without stopping.

Cassian wasn’t beside me. That was intentional. He sat near the back with Rubio and Mara, visible but not at the center. Present without claiming space.

That mattered.

The panel didn’t look like villains. That was the hardest part. They looked like people who had learned how to stay clean while standing near dirty things. Neutral suits. Neutral expressions. Neutral voices.

One of them cleared...