“First place,” the representative said.
Lyra waited for the qualification.
He put a prepared draft on the table.
“Your circumstances allow a more generous official interpretation than the current record reflects.”
The event records clerk seated beside them dipped her pen. She had introduced herself by office and purpose when Lyra arrived. The representative had requested her attendance to register what he expected would be a beneficial sponsor arrangement.
Lyra had confirmed that the clerk would record the terms, not merely witness the final signature.
The room’s chairs faced the same table. No barrier kept her in her seat, and the public corridor remained beyond an ordinary door. She could leave. The representative’s leverage waited in the resources he offered and the future decisions he believed his household could make elsewhere.
Now she looked at the draft without touching the pen.
