Silas read the first legal inquiry at 8:46 p.m.
The message had come through a media-monitoring contact, then through the legal intermediary, then into his private line. By the time it reached him, three firms tied to old MM Label reputation work had already received similar questions.
The reporter had not published.
That was the only good part.
Silas stood near the long table in his office while the technician enlarged the email on the screen. The legal intermediary stood beside him with a printed copy, marking the names mentioned in the questions.
The language was careful.
Not wild.
Not emotional.
Not the kind of reckless leak that could be dismissed as a desperate criminal trying to save himself.
