The man seated two chairs down added, "And the kind of level where they don't want people assuming too much, too early. They want the freedom to confirm quietly, behind closed doors, not under flashing lights and award speeches."
Bartholomew looked James in the eyes again, then said, "But from everything we're hearing—and I mean everything we've heard long before this event—the story has always been the same. It's done. You're the one. The Victor family has already chosen. This public announcement is a smokescreen."
There was a pause in the room. The kind of pause that hung with silent validation.
"Because the Victors don't flip decisions on a whim," Bartholomew said finally. "They don't change their minds the night before the biggest contract reveal in the region's history. That's not even possible."
