Back at Blackwood Enterprises, the effect was immediate.
The moment Hudson appeared on the floor, the atmosphere inside R&D shifted almost instantly.
Conversations cut off mid-sentence.
The quiet tapping of keyboards gradually slowed as heads turned one after another toward the elevator lobby.
Then recognition spread.
Employees straightened instinctively.
Some stood immediately.
Others lowered their heads respectfully the second they realized who had arrived.
“Mr. Blackwood…”
The greeting came quietly at first before echoing across nearby workstations in a ripple.
Hudson acknowledged none of it beyond a calm, unreadable glance across the department.
And somehow, that made the pressure even worse.
James stepped out beside him smoothly, tablet already in hand, posture composed an
