Mason did not move.
“Not as maintenance.”
She slid the contract across.
He opened it.
Title:
DIRECTOR OF LEGACY SYSTEMS AND ADVANCED POWERTRAIN INTEGRATION.
Mason’s eyebrows rose.
“That title is ridiculous.”
“I argued for shorter.”
“What was shorter?”
“Chief Design Engineer.”
He looked at her.
“That was Richard’s title for me.”
“I know.”
Silence.
Evelyn said:
“I won’t use it if you don’t want it.”
Mason read.
Every page.
Salary.
Benefits.
Childcare schedule flexibility.
Intellectual-property review.
Independent counsel paid by Vortex for Mason regarding old authorship and assignment issues.
Retroactive inventor corrections where legally appropriate.
No publicity without written permission.
No requirement to participate in media.
Mason stopped.
“You added this.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I read your file.”
“What file?”
“Your real one.”
His expression hardened.
Evelyn immediately said:
“Only employment records and the old project archive.”
“Nothing personal beyond what was already company documentation.”
He relaxed slightly.
“You disappeared because you needed privacy.”
“I’m not making your return into corporate marketing.”
He continued reading.
“You’re offering independent counsel.”
“You should not rely on Vortex’s lawyers to tell you what Vortex owes you.”
That earned a long look.
“My father taught me that.”
“Richard would have said the opposite.”
“He did.”
“Usually loudly.”
Mason almost smiled.
Evelyn leaned forward.
“I made a mistake firing you.”
“You followed policy.”
“I followed advice without understanding why the person giving it wanted a specific outcome.”
“That’s different.”
“It’s worse.”
Mason closed the folder.
“You’re twenty-eight.”
“Yes.”
“You’re allowed to make mistakes.”
“Not with people’s livelihoods.”
“No.”
He nodded.
“You’re right.”
She waited.
Mason looked toward Luna’s room.
“What are the hours?”
“Whatever makes sense within reason.”
“That phrase means nothing.”
“Eight to five?”
“School pickup Wednesday and Friday.”
“Done.”
“No mandatory race travel unless necessary.”
“Done.”
“If Luna is sick, I leave.”
“Obviously.”
“It isn’t obvious everywhere.”
Evelyn nodded.
“Done.”
“Xavier receives a full technical briefing before driving GT7 again.”
“Original design logic.”
“Failure modes.”
“Not just the current maintenance procedure.”
“Already scheduled if you agree to lead it.”
Mason looked down at the contract.
“One condition not written.”
“I’m listening.”
“Isaac keeps authority over current competition engineering.”
“I’m not coming back over his head.”
“He earned his position.”
“He failed because we gave him incomplete information.”
“Not because he lacked ability.”
Evelyn understood.
“Agreed.”
“And Dominic gets better ventilation downstairs.”
She blinked.
“What?”