His eyes moved from me to the envelope and then to the open laptop. He knew. I waited until Immani went upstairs. Did you know who I was when you stopped that night? Yes.
You knew? Yes. Lantern Ridge still owns 5.7%. Approximately. That word nearly broke my control.
Nadia. His expression changed. The lawyer I called said a Pittsburgh name came through a mutual contact. Was that you? I made sure her name reached the person you already trusted.
I did not hire her and I never asked her to take the case. The Helixor report. I suggested that an independent research service examined their history. The patent bid Lantern Ridge participated in the consortium after the opportunity was circulated to qualified bidders. I stood for weeks.
I have been talking through strategy with you while you were affecting the environment around me. I was trying to help. You were deciding what help looked like without telling me. His voice stayed low. I did not want to control you.
That is not the point. The first night in his house, I had spoken to him because I believed he was outside everything that had been taken from me. Now I understood he had never been outside it. You had the full picture, I said. I did not.
Malachi looked toward the table between us. The first night, you were just a person who needed somewhere safe. I wanted to keep it that simple for a little while. For you, he met my eyes. Yes, for me, too.
That honesty hurt more than an excuse. You should have told me. I know. When the first morning and every morning after that, yes, I gathered my papers. I cannot talk about this right now.
He did not stop me when I went upstairs. The next 3 days turned the house polite and cold. I worked with Nadia from early morning until late evening. Malachi gave me space. Immani watched both of us with the uncomfortable accuracy of a child who knew something important had broken.
Then Nadia called with the strongest development yet. A forensic review traced several altered compliance entries to a terminal assigned to the chief financial officer's suite. It was not absolute proof Ronin himself made the changes, but combined with the timeline and witness accounts, it was enough to demand a formal special board review of my suspension and the integrity of the original process. The meeting was set for 12 days later. That evening, Malachi asked to talk.