The door closed behind the last person with a soft hiss, sealing the room in silence. Only the low hum of the overhead lights remained, along with the faint ticking of a display panel that still blinked in standby mode on the far wall.
Sera's brother didn't say anything.
He didn't sit down, either.
He just stood there for a long moment with the tablet still resting in his hand, his thumb brushing the edge without much thought.
It wasn't nerves. It was the weight of something heavy finally settling. Not on his shoulders—but in his blood.
The assistant stayed near the door, quiet, unmoving. She didn't shift her stance or ask what came next.
She'd seen him like this a few times before, when a situation turned serious enough to pull him fully out of the public chain and into whatever lay behind the Association's polished glass and committee smiles.
But tonight was different.
