By 9:50 a.m., the room was filling up. Shareholders arrived one after another, exchanging brief greetings before settling into their seats. A few glanced at Cassidy, quick passing looks, then turned back to their phones or the printed agenda.
Low murmurs buzzed through the room.
"Another right issue?"
"Haven't had one in five years."
"What kind of project needs this much funding?"
Cassidy stayed quiet. Still. Listening, but giving nothing away. Let them talk.
At 9:59, the energy in the room shifted.
Bastiano entered first, stern as always, followed by Margaret, looking calm and confident. Zeke entered last, cool and detached in a charcoal suit that matched his expression. The three of them took their seats at the front of the room.
Zeke's eyes swept over the room in a slow, measured scan.
Then they paused briefly on her.
Cassidy.
For a split second, something flickered in his eyes. But he blinked and it was gone, buried under years of self control.
