Page 72 of Fated By Fire
Heat flares in my chest, but I force it down. “My priorities are exactly where they need to be. Our focus now should be on mitigating the damage.”
“He’s right,” Lydia interjects smoothly. “Pointing fingers won’t solve anything.”
Serena crosses her arms. “So, what’s the plan? Do we suppress the information? Issue denials?”
“Trying to erase it will only draw more attention,” Dorian says. “Streisand effect and all that.”
“Streisand effect?” Serena frowns.
“You know. When you try to hide something and just end up drawing more attention to it?”
“Perfect. Just what we need. So, what do we do?” Luke demands.
“Perhaps we control the narrative,” Lydia suggests. “Redirect the curiosity elsewhere. Flood the internet with conflicting theories to dilute the impact.”
“That could work,” Serena muses. “Use our resources to create noise.”
I nod. “And we need to strengthen our security.” I tap a folder on the table beside me, where Sloane had set out the latest updates. “There’s been increased activity around Craven Tower—suspicious figures watching the building.”
“Malakai’s access codes have been used again,” Dorian adds. “Even though we tried to block them.”
“Impossible,” Luke mutters. “He must have inside help.”
“Agreed,” I say. “We may have a mole within our ranks.”
A heavy silence settles over the room as everyone considers what this might mean.
“Could the Syndicate be mobilizing?” Serena asks quietly.
“All signs point to it,” I confirm. “All signs point to the NyxCorp deal being a front for their activities, as I’d suspected.” I don’t look at Dorian. He took his eye off the ball on that one. “One of their affiliates, Blackthorn Consulting, recently conducted an investigation into our company. There are just too many coincidences for it to be unrelated.”
The tension in the room escalates. Luke shifts uncomfortably in his seat, and Lydia’s gaze flickers to me, a silent question in her eyes.
Throughout the discussion, Elena’s emotions continue to batter at me—now a mix of determination and… fear? My focus wavers and I grip the edge of the table to steady myself.
“Caleb?” Lydia’s voice cuts through the haze.
I blink, realizing that the room has fallen silent. All eyes are on me.
“Is everything alright?” she asks, a knowing look in her eyes.
“Fine,” I lie.
She arches an eyebrow but doesn’t press. “We were discussing how to address the potential mole.”
“Right.” I clear my throat. “We need to initiate an internal investigation. Discreetly. If Malakai has sympathizers, we need to root them out.”
“Agreed,” Dorian says, though his gaze lingers on me, concern etched in his features.
“Meeting adjourned,” I announce abruptly. “Sloane will coordinate our next steps.”
As the clan members file out, Lydia approaches me. “A word, Caleb?”
I nod, waiting as the others leave the room. The door closes behind Dorian, leaving us alone.
She studies me for a moment before speaking. “You’re distracted.”
“I’m handling it,” I reply, avoiding her gaze.
