The Mute Wife's Revenge: Silent No More

oject Chimera: Q3 Threat Analysis, but to her, it read Three Years of Silence. She sat at the long mahogany table in the Maynard Global

er watch. 9:0

in the room shifted, pressurized by the arr

marrying his son. She offered a small, deferential nod that she hoped looked appropriate rather than hollow. Theodore didn't look at her. He strod

l. He gave her a clinical glance, an assessment, not an acknowledgment. She tucked a

hands flat on the table. "As you all know, the hostile takeover attempt by Barton Garrett is co

te raiders, to identify the digital tripwires, to map the network of shell companies Garrett used to mask his attack. She had spent sleepless nights not coding, but hunting, leaving her eyes bu

. He gestured toward his youngest son, Con

on of the project lead," Theodore said, a rare warmth e

e door for catering, but the main entrance

roat, a physical block that stopp

agazine cover than a quarterly review, his hair artfully disheveled. He looked like a star. He lo

g in the sudden, thunderous applause that erupted around her.

itle slide for Project Chimera appeared. Underneath the bold te

he had been holding slipped from her fingers

pressions ranging from pity to confusion, before quickly a

nails manicured to a lethal point. He scanned the room, his gaze flickering over E

ice light and airy. "When I first concep

mary Elayne had written two nights ago. He was using her words, her cadence, even pausing for empha

She felt an overwhelming urge to stand, to scream, but the NDA was a physical chain around her throat. Three

n, his expression unreadable, analytical. Did he know? Did

ought, the words a sil

yes, usually indifferent, were now sharp shards of ice. It was a look of

ted his weight. The board members were staring at their tablets. I

etallic tang of blood. Slowly, agonizing

ause again. Theodore beamed, placing a hand on Conrad

ands gripping her knees under th

ntil the crowd thinned, then saw Calhoun approaching the coffee station. She s

egan, her voice

public face. The Van der Sloot family is looking for a rising star to manage their joint venture. A title li

rity of the work? I'm the one who did the work. So I'm just... what? A ghost? A st

y piece of lint from her shoulder, a gesture that felt more like a dismissal than comfort. "You are t

alked away, che

ingers fumbling as she brought up the encrypted messaging app. She typed a single character to her only con

re. One gray checkm

ffline. Super bus

d out the window at the skyline she had helped defend, rea