Arianne said it the way she said most things that mattered, in the middle of a sentence about something else entirely, so that Gio almost missed it.
"—and Meridian wants the second-quarter numbers by Friday. Also, Sam told me she's been thinking about walking away from you. Not the industry. You." She closed the folder in front of her and looked up. "I thought you should hear it from someone who isn't going to make it a performance."
Gio's pen stopped against the notepad, mid-letter, and stayed there. Something crossed his face in the half-second before he looked up, gone again before Arianne could name it, tucked behind the same expression he wore for board meetings and blackmail threats alike.
"Understood," he said, because it was the only word available that didn't require more of him than he had ready.
