Arik returned to work after leaving Liam with the pleasant tasks of surviving flowers, drawing the old Canmore foundation levels from memory and stolen drawings, and pretending he was not going to spend the rest of the day thinking about Gabriel's meeting.
It should have been enough to improve Arik's mood.
It did not.
The secure meeting room was already occupied when he arrived. Rex sat on the other side of the table, looking like Wrohan had personally chewed on him for two weeks and then returned him with paperwork. Noah was beside Arik's chair, sleeves rolled up, three folders open in front of him, and the expression of a man who had not slept enough to be polite about other people's incompetence. Mezos stood near the wall with a cup of tea, pleasant and composed in a way that made Arik wonder how many contingency plans had already been placed under the table.
Probably four.
Possibly seven.
Rex lifted his head when Arik entered. "You look better."
"I saw Liam."
