NEVA POV
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Mitch was pacing.
I want to be clear about how significant this was. In the months I had known Mitch Avaro, I had seen him run counter-filings under pressure, manage four simultaneous legal crises, and eat breakfast while processing the news that a dying man's estate was trying to claim thirty percent of our operating reserves. Through all of it, he sat. He stood. He moved with the deliberate efficiency of someone who knew exactly where he was going.
He did not pace.
He was pacing.
"He went public," Mitch said, for the second time.
"You said that already," Ziko said.
"I'm saying it again because I need everyone to understand what that means." He turned at the wall. "He didn't file another council petition. He didn't approach new family alliances. He didn't try to find
