Chapter 90 The Rival Arrives

***Gideon***

I know she’s there before she knocks.

I always do.

The soft rhythm of her steps outside my office has become familiar enough that I don’t need cameras to track it. I feel it in the shift of air, in the way my attention sharpens without permission.

A gentle knock.

“Come in.”

Hazel steps inside, composed as ever, though I can still see the faint tension living behind her eyes these days