Amara hadn't even made it to the palace corridor when her earpiece crackled to life.
"Amara," Chris's voice commanded. Cold. Sharp. Final.
She stopped.
"Come back. Now."
Her footsteps turned. She retraced her steps back to his office, knowing from the tone — this wasn't a discussion. It was an execution of command.
She entered. He didn't look at her — just motioned for the door to shut behind her.
"You're going to get that cheque back."
Amara narrowed her eyes. "Chris—"
"Now."
He looked up at her finally, and his expression was unreadable. But his voice? It was iron.
"And not just that," he continued. "You'll issue a demotion."
Amara blinked. "To what level?"
Chris looked her dead in the eye. "Lowest. Floor duty. Access revoked. Privileges gone. Number revoked. Erased from rank. She's no longer one of us."
"That's extreme."
"That's justice."
"No," Amara countered, voice rising slightly, "that's personal."
Chris stepped around his desk, his presence overpowering.
"I gave you authority," he said. "But I didn't give you the right to defy the boundaries I intentionally put in place."
"She didn't do anything," Amara shot back. "She's a nobody—"
"Exactly," he snapped. "And she'll remain one. I don't need whispers of favoritism, of connections, of unknown links to my past resurfacing on the eve of my wedding."
Amara's lips parted slightly, realization sinking in.
"This is about the past," she said. "She's not just a staffer, is she?"
Chris didn't blink. "It doesn't matter who she is. What matters is she doesn't become something she was never meant to be."
Silence passed between them.
Chris extended his hand. "The cheque."
Amara hesitated—then slowly retrieved the sealed envelope from her coat and placed it into his palm.
"She'll hate you for this," she said quietly.
"I hope she does," Chris replied. "Hate keeps people away. And I need her far from this empire."
Amara gave him one last look, not as an officer. But as the woman who would soon wear his ring.
"You're burying something, Chris," she said.
He turned back to his desk.
"I already buried it. I'm just keeping the soil packed."