Chapter 693 Promotion Looming

• Edward's bronze-trimmed fingertips drummed once on the polished conference table, his voice cutting through the sterile light with calm authority.
• “Like I said before, any officer who graduates from Blue Star Military Academy earns nothing less than a general's bar. You're already a major general. I'm going to brief Mr. Watkins immediately and discuss elevating your rank. Barring any surprises, the promotion order will hit your desk within forty-eight hours.”
• Edward's gaze settled on Annabeth, the air seeming to tighten as he continued,”As the fastest graduate Blue Star has ever seen—you finished the program in just two years—and as its youngest general to date, I want you at the military department's top-level council two days from now. We need soldiers like you—visible, uncompromising—so the rest of the force knows exactly what standard to chase.”