Eight o'clock in the morning. Manila time.
Hana stepped into Timothy's office carrying a fresh batch of documents when her earpiece buzzed with an urgent tone reserved only for VIP-level calls. She paused mid-stride, pressed a finger gently to her ear, and listened.
Her eyes narrowed.
"…Sir," she said slowly, "Fluor just called."
Timothy looked up from his monitor, the faintest smirk forming on his lips. "Already?"
"It's their Executive Vice President for Corporate Strategy," Hana clarified. "He wants a call within the next hour. He… sounded tense."
"Of course he is." Timothy leaned back in his chair. "The moment NuScale shows even an ounce of unusual activity, Fluor panics. They're too big to move fast, too bureaucratic to pivot smoothly. They rely on predictable patterns, and we're breaking the pattern."
Hana stepped closer. "Do you want to take the call?"
