Matthias Verren became the center of the board without ever entering the room.That was the power of men like him.He was not the largest company, not the richest investor, not the loudest political voice, and not the visible enemy. On paper, he was a facilitator. A bridge. A policy adviser who helped older energy firms remain part of the transition instead of becoming obstacles to it. He understood the language of reform well enough to sound modern, and he understood the fears of legacy companies well enough to keep them from running back to Vostok every time Integrity moved the future another step forward.That made him useful.It also made him dangerous.Adrian stood before the board, studying the line Alvarez had drawn from Thomas Keane to Verren, from Verren to the holding company, and from the holding company’s government relations department back into the structure shielding the contaminated vendor chain.The line was not proof of betrayal.Not yet.But it was movement through