The invitation arrived at a time when it should not have existed. For days, Seraphina Vale's name had been absent from every major social gathering within the city's elite circles. The silence had been consistent, calculated, and deliberate. The pattern of exclusion had reached a point where reversal, if it came, would not be subtle.
It would be visible.
The message appeared late in the afternoon. It was formal, direct, and impossible to ignore.
An exclusive fundraising event hosted by Evelyn Crane.
Seraphina read it once, her expression unchanged. Lucien stood across from her in the strategy room, his attention fixed on the screen as she turned it toward him.
"They added you back," he said.
Seraphina placed the phone on the table. "Yes," she replied.
Lucien's gaze sharpened. "This is not a correction," he said.
Seraphina shook her head slightly. "No."
