Days after the dinner, Gray was back at his desk like nothing had changed.In a way, nothing had. The meetings, the numbers, the daily rhythm of running two stores. All of it continued the same way it always had. The only difference was the folder sitting in the corner of his desk and the quiet count in the back of his head he kept returning to without meaning to.Two months."So," he said, tilting his chair back and glancing up at Mara. "How's the investigation going?"Mara sighed. She took a moment before answering, which told him most of what he needed to know."Fine, I suppose," she said. "Nothing new, though.""What does that mean, exactly?"She didn't answer right away. Instead she walked forward, placed a folder on his desk, and opened it."What we have right now is a compiled list of witness statements," Mara said. "People's accounts, their stories. We have some photos too." She flipped a few pages to show him."But nothing solid," she continued. "Nothing that pins them down.

Mara wasn't sure how long she had been in the cafeteria. Long enough for the coffee to go cold before she touched it. Long enough to stop checking the time and just wait until she felt like she could go back without it being awkward.When she finally came back in, Gray was alone and the chair in front of his desk was emptyShe closed the door behind her and looked at him. He looked tired, the particular kind of tired that came from sitting with someone in distress for a long time and not being able to fix any of it. She hadn't expected comforting someone to look quite like that, but there it was."So what happened?" she asked. "It took you a while. And she sounded really hurt when she came in.""Yeah." Gray exhaled and rubbed the back of his neck. "She just left a few minutes ago." He shook his head slightly. "She's not okay.""I already figured that." Mara crossed her arms. She walked to his desk and dropped into the chair across from him. "What really happened?"Gray hesitated for a

"Thank you, thank you for coming." Alistair's voice carried across the entrance, warm and practiced, as he shook hands with each person walking in. He spotted Gray and his smile widened. "Especially you, Gray." "Of course, Mayor." Gray took his hand without hesitation. Camera flashes went off behind them, two or three at once.The foundation was packed.Staff moved in every direction, carrying trays of food on metal carts. A media team had set up at each corner of the building. Reporters stood in front of cameras, speaking into microphones and gesturing at the activity behind them. The lights were bright. The air was warm and heavy with the smell of catered food and too many bodies in one building.Outside, the open courtyard had been scrubbed clean and arranged into stations. People of all ages waited in lines that stretched across the concrete. Along the far side, long tables and folding chairs had been set up in rows, enough to seat over a hundred. At the back, a banner hung bet

The days that followed were predictable.Gray started showing up at Alistair's office more often. Sometimes with a reason. Sometimes without one. He would say he was there to help with the campaign plans, or to follow up on something from the foundation event, or just to drop by.Alistair never questioned it. If anything, he looked pleased.Gray could tell the trust had settled. Alistair let him sit in the office during meetings now. He let him handle small tasks, pass files around, access documents on the shared desk. None of them were the files Gray actually wanted, but the access itself was what mattered. Every day in that office was another inch closer to the things that were kept behind locked drawers and private folders.It also gave him time with Alistair's secretary."Mayor Alistair will be in a private meeting for the next hour, Sir Gray." the secretary came through the door with his arms full of folders, his breathing slightly uneven from hurrying. He shifted the stack again

"How is it?" Gray leaned forward slightly in his chair. "Have they found anything?"Two days since the articles had gone live. Two days of Alistair's team tearing through contacts, calling in favors, pulling strings. And from the look on Alistair's face, all of it had come back empty.Alistair shook his head. "Nothing.""Nothing at all?" Gray let his brow rise. He kept his voice light, slightly confused, the way someone would sound if they actually expected a result. Alistair scoffed. He ran a hand through his hair and his jaw shifted to one side. "Not a single trace. Even Steven hasn't been able to dig anything up." He clicked his tongue against his teeth. "It's ridiculous." Gray glanced to the side. Steven sat at his small desk near the wall, hands on his keyboard, head down. He hadn't spoken a word since Gray walked in. He was either focused on his screen or very good at pretending to be. "I've been doing this long enough to know how leaks work," Alistair said. His eyes narrowed