Marcus nodded and turned to leave.
"Marcus," Drusilla called after him.
He stopped.
"Don't engage him directly. I want the first contact. Understand?"
"Yes, Lady Drusilla."
"Good. Now get to work and send Katerina up. I need someone to spar with while I wait."
Marcus left the chamber.
Behind him, he could hear Drusilla laughing quietly to herself. The particular sound she made when she was genuinely pleased about something.
Which usually meant someone was about to have a very bad day.
*
Kate looked at her schedule and suppressed a sigh.
Three back-to-back meetings. The quarterly projection review with Aubrey, the supply chain coordination session with the manufacturing division, and the strategic planning call with the design team. None of them could be postponed without creating cascading problems through her carefully organized afternoon.
And she had Jaenor sitting in her visitor lounge with nothing to do.
