FIRST WEEK BACK TO WORK

The holiday quiet didn't last long.

By Monday morning, the house no longer felt like a place of rest but a carefully contained storm of movement, emails, and ringing phones. The transition back into work was immediate and all-consuming. The new year brought adjustments, meetings, and planning sessions that stretched from early morning to late at night.

Mark and I barely had time to sit down for a proper breakfast before diving into work. The home office became our battlefield—shared but separate, a constant rhythm of typing, calls, and discussions filling the space.

Edward's office, right next to ours, remained occupied just as frequently.

He was present every day, reviewing documents, making calls, and meeting with key figures in the company. Despite what he had told Mark about stepping down, he hadn't slowed down much. If anything, he seemed determined to secure everything before he eventually did.