Chapter 12 Morning Light & Regret

• "Hand me the financial ledger from the bedside table, Aurelia," Thaddeus says, his voice cold and clipped as he buttoned up a fresh white dress shirt, his back turned toward her.
• Aurelia pulls the silk sheet higher over her bare shoulders, her dark eyes narrowing at the sudden, jarring return to their corporate tone. She reaches across the mattress, grabbing the heavy leather-bound folder and tossing it onto the duvet near his feet. "You forgot your pen, Chief Executive Officer Drake. Or did three years of playing a cold stranger make you forget how to manage your own paperwork?"
• Thaddeus stops buttoning his cuff, picking up the ledger without turning around. "The blackout ends when the grid resets tonight. When it does, our staff returns, the board expects quarterly reports, and we go back to running our respective companies."