Second week after the gala
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Lyra's POV – Strategic Wing
The email arrived mid-morning.
> Subject: General Staff Visibility Meeting – Strategic Oversight Cluster
Presenter: Celeste Rhinehart
Time: Thursday, 11:00 AM
Location: Executive Briefing Room 4B
It looked routine. Calendar-standard. But her stomach tightened anyway.
Celeste.
Polished, public, untouchable. The kind of woman built for cameras and crisis strategy. The one they all assumed would stand beside Cassian Dorne when the boardrooms made it official.
Lyra reread the name.
Then the word:
Visibility.
It landed like frost.
She minimized the message and turned back to the spreadsheet she could no longer see.
---
Cassian's POV – Executive Office
Celeste stepped into his office like she still belonged there.
Impeccable suit. Perfect posture. Voice tuned to disapproval.
"You didn't confirm the staff briefing," she said.
"I saw it," Cassian answered.
"Then you'll attend."
He looked up. "Why?"
"So they know I exist," she replied. "And so you remember that I do."
He didn't argue.
But neither did he agree.
Celeste's expression remained intact, composed, immovable.
"You're distracted again," she said, glancing at the open folder on his desk.
He didn't respond.
Not with words. Just a slight drag of his fingers across the margin notes.
Her handwriting.
That voice.
Celeste didn't wait. "Don't be late," she added, and walked out.
He stayed still long after the door closed.
---
Lyra's POV – Executive Briefing Room 4B
The room filled slowly but deliberately.
Michael Lin took a seat near the front. Buttoned-down calm, unreadable as ever.
Theo leaned against the far wall, arms crossed, watching everything.
Talia joined her at the side, hands in her pockets, shoulder grazing Lyra's.
Celeste entered with theatrical ease. Confidence tucked into every syllable. Her speech was smooth, full of polished appreciation and curated familiarity.
"I want to thank you all for your work," she said. "Resilience is earned. Visibility matters. Presence matters."
Lyra stared at the edge of the table.
She barely processed the rest.
Until—
Cassian entered.
Late. Sharp suit. Clean lines. Controlled energy.
His gaze moved across the room.
Then caught.
On her.
Just a flicker. A pause.
A second too long.
Then gone.
He sat beside Celeste without comment.
Didn't lean in. Didn't nod. Just… present.
But not there.
And Lyra felt it like a wire across her skin.
She stared forward, breath held.
The room kept breathing around her.
---
Theo's POV – Hallway, After
"That was excruciating," Talia said, falling into step beside him.
"You weren't on the attendee list," Theo replied.
She shrugged. "Neither were you."
"I'm always on the list."
Talia's grin was sharp. "Loyal hound in pressed linen."
He raised a brow. "Wolf."
"You're watching her too."
Theo's mouth tightened. "I watch everyone."
"No," she said, more softly now. "You're watching her."
Theo stopped walking. Talia didn't.
She just tossed over her shoulder: "It's not just you."
---
Lyra's POV – Late Afternoon
The floor dimmed early as rain gathered outside.
She stayed behind, buried herself in vendor corrections and budget shadowing until her eyes blurred.
She didn't reply to Michael's check-in.
Didn't glance toward the elevator, even though she wanted to.
She hadn't spoken to Cassian in days.
But she felt like she had.
She opened the next report.
> Internal Ledger Update
Contributor: L. Elmont
Reviewed by: C. Dorne
Her hands stilled on the keyboard.
That was new. He'd read it.
Seen it. Seen her.
She closed her eyes.
Not to cry. Not to flinch.
Just… to feel it for a second.
Because the memory wasn't leaving anymore.
It was becoming part of her.
And for once, she wasn't sure if she wanted to disappear—
Or be found.