Chapter 9: The Shattered Ceremony

The day of the Silvermane Group's highly anticipated product launch arrived. After three years of development, they were making their first foray into the pharmaceutical industry, and the air was thick with anticipation. A throng of reporters and camera crews jostled for position, all eager to catch a glimpse of the project's lead. Wesley's gaze kept darting to the main entrance, then back to the stubbornly dark screen of his phone. A restless, gnawing agitation had taken root in him. His original plan had been simple. When Starling showed up, undoubtedly furious about being sidelined, he would explain everything. He would tell her that placing Tanya as the public face of the project was a final act of pity. The mind-healers had said Tanya's spirit was still crippled with inferiority from the fire that had claimed her family. This public recognition, he reasoned, would be the final balm she needed to heal. After this, he had promised himself, I am done. Tanya