The moment Ashley lowered her head, a few people let themselves smirk. Jony. Nikki. Several members of the High Chamber.
They had been lenient with her at first because they hadn't expected much. But she had pushed, and now they were pushing back the only way they knew how.
Politics.
On the other side of the room, a few faces fell. Those loyal to Lucian had been counting on her.
Worry moved quietly through her men. They knew how hard it was to fight these kinds of arguments — the kind that wrapped truth around a blade. Ashley had shown them she was capable, but capability wasn't always enough. This room required something else: the ability to hold your ground when someone was twisting the ground beneath you.
Lukas stared at her, something almost like concern flickering behind his eyes for the first time. Concern, and disappointment, though he wasn't surprised.
