#Chapter 64: The Weight We Carry

Richard The morning after the gala, I summoned Elsa to my office. She arrived in silk and pearls, still dressed like she thought she had a place here. Her expression was cool and composed, until she saw my face. "You're not even going to offer me tea?" she asked, settling into the chair like she owned it. "You're not staying long enough to drink it." That caught her attention. Her spine straightened. "Excuse me?" I stayed standing, letting the silence settle like dust. "You humiliated a member of my team last night. You undermined my authority. You put yourself above the Pack." She rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on. It was a joke. If your little orphan can’t handle that, maybe she shouldn’t be in politics." I slammed a folder onto the table. Her dress sabotage. Eyewitness accounts, security footage, the notes she left in the prep area. She went very still. "You tried to sabotage her," I said. "And when that didn’t work, you tried to humiliate her in front of our allies