Chapter 12: The Weight of Recognition
The Hudson Bridge project ran smoothly for the remaining hours. The moment the second mistake was found, Nathan's influence shattered completely. He could argue, he could insist, but it no longer mattered. Nobody let him do anything.
He tried to give orders—ignored.
He tried to assist—brushed off.
He even tried to appeal to the coordinators, but their patience had run out. He had almost jeopardized the entire project. There was no coming back from that.
With Nathan neutralized, I focused on my work. I moved from section to section, reinforcing frameworks, triple-checking load-bearing supports, and keeping an eye on the overall flow of progress. My actions were methodical, efficient—normal.
The truth was, I didn't need to overextend myself anymore. I had already done what needed to be done. But working hard, especially now, would cement the image I had been building.
And it worked.
As we finished the final checks, Sienna approached me.
"You did good today, Reynard." Her voice was even, but I caught the subtle weight behind her words. "If you hadn't warned us about Nathan, we might have found the issue too late."
I shrugged. "Just doing my part."
She gave me a long look before nodding. "Right. Well, your part saved this damn project. Good work."