Chapter 4 — The First Strike

Vivienne

The air inside Vivienne's office was charged with a tension that even the faint scent of polished leather and fresh-cut flowers couldn’t dispel. Outside, rain streaked the floor-to-ceiling windows, catching the city’s neon glow in erratic patterns. A low rumble of thunder punctuated the silence like a warning drumbeat. Vivienne stood near the window, her sharp gray eyes scanning the skyline as if its glittering lights might hold the answers. The Vanguard AI Suite launch was days away, and already a storm—both literal and figurative—threatened to unravel everything.