Chapter 10

• When I reached the door, my nerves prickled beneath the surface, but I forced myself to stay calm. I took a steady breath, smoothing out any trace of unease. I couldn’t afford to let it show, not here, not now.
• I opened the door and stepped inside, my eyes scanning the room quickly, trying to prepare for whatever I might find. Relief washed over me, light and unexpected. The space wasn’t what I had imagined. I’d expected something grand and intimidating, somewhere calculated to keep me on edge.
• Instead, it was just a simple workspace. A desk sat by the window, papers stacked in uneven piles, as though they’d been left in the middle of a thought. Bookshelves lined the walls, crammed with volumes that looked well-read rather than decorative. The air was quiet, filled only with the faint stillness of a room meant for thinking rather than performing.