The city looked different from Adrian's office than it had only a few months earlier. The skyline had not changed, and he had. For years, he had stood before those windows believing every tower represented something he controlled. Markets had risen when he acted. Competitors had retreated when he advanced. Investors had trusted his judgement without hesitation, and now the silence inside the executive floor was heavier than any noise.
Most of the offices were dark. The assistants had gone home, and several senior executives had already cleared their desks after submitting their resignations. The polished conference table where strategy meetings had once stretched late into the night now held only a single folder. The board's final resolution.
