Chapter 333

• Talking candidly and sometimes critically about our own mentors and rivals was a common pastime among us ambitious professionals, free of any pretense or pressure.
• I raised my hand with quiet authority, signaling my trusted aides to station themselves discreetly at the door, ensuring our privacy.
• Violet, never one to mince words, leaned in with a mixture of frustration and excitement. “We were stuck outside the city for two days, thanks to your master’s orders. We had to stay in a tiny, rundown inn in a sketchy town full of petty criminals. Luckily, with the martial experts among us, your assets stayed completely secure.”