Forty Million

Ethan let them spar. Old Ethan would have chased the number. New Ethan watched the control rights. Board observer. Commercial partnership. Preferred data access. Most-favored pricing. Northstar wanted Atlas as a feature before Atlas became a platform. At noon, Nora cornered him in a quiet hallway outside the suite. "Marcus says you are using me." "Marcus says things that make people easier to move." "That is not a denial." Ethan looked at her. The hallway was too bright, too quiet, the kind of expensive neutral space where truth sounded louder than it should. "I needed you as a customer because you force evidence," he said. "I wanted you nearby because you see the part of me that scares me." Her face changed, not softening exactly. Focusing.