"Someone is attacking us."
Damien didn't blink.
"Not through force. Not directly. But across our economic front. Three acquisitions lost in the past two weeks. Two bids blocked. Longstanding contracts withdrawn without warning."
He gestured toward one of the flickering nodes.
"These aren't random collapses. Someone's pulling strings. Coordinating between mid-tier houses—Kesselrin, Astirell, even fringe families who never had the spine to challenge us before."
Dominic fell silent after his last statement, letting the red-lit web of failing assets and hostile bids pulse quietly in the air between them. He leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled beneath his chin, eyes fixed not on the projection—but on Damien.
He said nothing more.
Because this part wasn't about speaking.
This part was about watching.
You've never stepped into a boardroom.
You've never touched the pulse of the Elford economic arm.
You haven't been trained in this world… because I kept you out of it.
