Lewis passed the sales report to me like it meant nothing.
"This is Mrs. Hale," he said calmly to the manager. "From now on, everything here goes through her."
The room went still.
The manager froze. His eyes flicked from Lewis to me, clearly caught off guard. Our marriage wasn't public yet, but Lewis spoke with the kind of certainty that made questions die before they were formed.
He straightened quickly, respect settling into his posture like instinct. "My apologies, Mrs. Hale," he said, bowing slightly. "I didn't recognize you."
I smiled, slow and composed. "That's fine. You may go."
Across the room, Lincy and Yenik stared at me like I'd just torn the ground out from under their feet.
Lincy's hand shook as she pointed. "You planned this!" she yelled. "You set us up to overspend!"
