The city was awake, but it didn't feel alive. To Courtney, the streets below looked cold and impersonal, glass towers catching the early sunlight like mirrors reflecting her own turmoil. She pressed her palm to the window, feeling the smooth glass under her skin, and imagined the world outside watching her — judging her. Headlines flashed in her mind, biting at her confidence: "Empire Brands Scandal Intensifies," "Sean's Nightlife Secrets Exposed," "Company Credibility in Question."
She turned, and Dwayne was standing behind her, arms crossed, shoulders tense, eyes narrowed in that familiar calculating way he had when he was considering a move several steps ahead.
"Have you seen it?" she asked, her voice low, barely above a whisper.
He didn't need to answer. She could see it in the way he shifted, the subtle tightening of his jaw. His gaze was sharp, scanning the city below like he could see every headline, every investor panic, every whisper of betrayal before it even happened.
