Morning came quietly.
Too quietly.
Gracie woke before the alarm, her eyes opening to the pale light leaking through the curtains. For a few seconds she stayed still, listening to the soft hum of the city waking outside.
Something felt… wrong.
Not danger exactly.
Just the strange stillness that comes before something breaks.
She rubbed her eyes and sat up.
Memories from the night before came rushing back—Avery standing at her door, that cold smile on her lips… the message about her grandmother.
Gracie's chest tightened.
And then there was Derick.
The way he had held her like nothing in the world would ever reach her as long as he was there.
As long as I'm alive, he had said.
The words echoed in her head again.
She pushed the blanket aside and stepped out of bed.
The faint smell of coffee drifted from the kitchen.
Gracie followed it.
Derick stood by the window with a mug in his hand, one shoulder resting lightly against the counter. The morning sun caught the edge of his face, outlining his sharp jaw and the quiet focus in his eyes.
But something about him felt different today.
More alert.
Like someone who had already made several decisions before sunrise.
He noticed her reflection in the glass and turned slightly.
"Morning," he said.
His voice was calm, but softer than usual.
Gracie crossed her arms, leaning against the doorway.
"You didn't sleep."
A small smile touched his lips.
"Neither did you."
She walked into the kitchen slowly.
"You always do that."
"Do what?"
"Avoid the question."
Derick chuckled under his breath.
"That wasn't avoiding it. That was answering honestly."
Gracie stopped beside him at the window.
From here she could see the skyline stretching across the city—the glass towers, the slow stream of traffic, the distant shimmer of sunlight reflecting off the massive Blackcrest building.
The sight made her stomach tighten.
"I feel like something's about to happen," she admitted quietly.
Derick didn't answer immediately.
Instead he took another sip of coffee, his eyes scanning the streets far below.
Finally he said,
"Phoenix Enterprise made a move last night."
Gracie turned toward him instantly.
"My father?"
"Yes."
Her fingers tightened around her sleeve.
"What kind of move?"
Derick lowered the mug and placed it carefully on the counter.
"He requested a formal meeting with Blackcrest's owner."
Gracie blinked.
"But… nobody even knows who that is."
Derick's gaze flickered toward her.
"That's exactly why he's asking."
The realization crept slowly into her mind.
"If he calls a meeting publicly…" she said, thinking out loud, "…the owner would have to appear."
"Or refuse."
"And refusing would make Phoenix Enterprise look stronger."
Derick nodded once.
"You're learning quickly."
Gracie didn't feel proud.
She felt nervous.
Because Derick didn't sound surprised.
He sounded like someone who had already expected this.
She studied him carefully.
"You talk like you're part of this fight."
His eyes shifted back to the skyline.
"I'm close enough to it."
Before she could push further, his phone vibrated.
Derick glanced at the screen.
The relaxed look on his face vanished.
He answered immediately.
"Yes."
Gracie watched him closely.
A pause followed.
Then another.
"Understood," he said quietly.
The call ended.
Gracie's stomach dropped.
"That didn't look like good news."
Derick slipped the phone into his pocket.
"It wasn't bad either."
"That's not comforting."
He gave her a small, apologetic look.
"Avery moved this morning."
Gracie groaned softly.
"Of course she did."
"She's forcing a Blackcrest board assembly this afternoon."
Gracie frowned.
"That's impossible. She's not part of Blackcrest."
"No," Derick agreed calmly.
"She isn't."
"Then how is she forcing anything?"
His silence answered the question before he spoke.
"Your father backed the request."
Gracie stared at him.
"So this is coordinated."
"Yes."
Her heart started beating faster.
"They're trying to smoke out the owner."
Derick didn't deny it.
For a moment neither of them spoke.
The tension in the kitchen felt almost physical.
Finally Gracie whispered,
"Derick…"
He looked at her.
"Are you in danger because of this?"
A faint smile returned to his face.
"Only if I make mistakes."
"And do you?"
"Not often."
She stepped closer to him.
Close enough to see the faint shadow of exhaustion under his eyes.
"You're hiding something from me," she said quietly.
Derick didn't deny that either.
His hand lifted slowly and brushed a loose strand of hair away from her cheek.
The touch was gentle.
Careful.
"You should still go to work today," he said softly.
Gracie stared at him.
"That sounds like a terrible idea."
"Maybe."
"Then why say it?"
"Because sometimes the safest place to stand…"
His gaze shifted back toward the towering Blackcrest building.
"…is right in the middle of the storm."
Gracie followed his eyes.
The glass tower gleamed under the rising sun.
And suddenly her dream from last night flashed through her mind again—
A powerful figure standing at the center of a building made of glass.
Watching everything.
Controlling everything.
She looked back at Derick slowly.
"Today matters, doesn't it?"
His voice was almost a whisper.
"Yes."
Her throat tightened.
"Why?"
Derick exhaled slowly.
"Because by tonight…"
His eyes met hers.
"…a lot of people may realize they've been underestimating the wrong man."
Before she could ask what that meant—
his phone vibrated again.
He checked the message.
His expression hardened.
Gracie immediately noticed.
"What now?"
Derick slipped the phone back into his pocket.
"Your father just arrived at Phoenix Enterprise headquarters."
"That's normal."
"He brought half the board with him."
Gracie's stomach sank.
"That's… not normal."
Derick nodded.
"No."
She looked toward the Blackcrest tower again.
"What does that mean?"
Derick's voice was calm.
But the words carried weight.
"It means," he said,
"the war just started."