Every junior officer in the vicinity snapped their spine straight on reflex.

The idle chatter died a sudden death.

Reed wasn’t merely a ceremonial flag officer; he was the Commander of Naval Sea Systems.

He was the apex predator of this ecosystem—the man whose single signature could make billion-dollar defense contracts materialize or violently evaporate overnight.

He marched directly toward me, his heavy black shoes clicking sharply against the marble.

His weathered, deeply lined face was set in stone, but his eyes burned with a fierce emotion.