Sloane's POVThe chronometer on the primary console clicked smoothly to forty-five minutes past eight o'clock in the evening. The internal environment of the penthouse suite remained fixed at an immaculate eighteen degrees Celsius, completely sealed against the thick, amber-tinted harmattan haze lingering over the capital district below.I sat behind the obsidian console, my column gown of midnight-navy silk draping in unbroken, fluid lines to the marble floor. My fingers rested flat against the dark stone surface, the family emeralds glowing with a calm, cool fire against my throat. On the main projection glass, every single global distribution channel, regional maritime feed, and commercial banking node glowed in a steady, unblemished silver."The secondary encryption loops for the night cycle are fully locked, Mother," Alexander reported, stepping up to the console with his digital slate tucked under his arm. His expression was cool, composed, and completely devoid of fatigue. "Th
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