The city was still sleeping when Evelyn arrived. It was 5:42 a.m. and Wolfe Tower's lobby was dim and empty, the night guards barely acknowledging her as she passed. She wore her best blouse—navy blue, crisp—and her hair was pinned up with ruthless precision. Every breath she took felt like walking a tightrope.
By 5:58, she was standing in front of a sleek biometric panel. The elevator opened at exactly six.
He was waiting.
Alexander Wolfe stood beside the floor-to-ceiling window in his penthouse office, his silhouette framed by a soft, glowing dawn. The skyline bled gold. His suit was midnight black, like he hadn't left the tower all weekend.
"You're early," he said without turning.
"You said sharp."
He turned then, eyes assessing. "Let's get one thing clear, Miss Hart. You're not here to learn. You're here to solve. When something breaks, I expect you to fix it—quietly. No praise. No complaints."
She nodded. "Understood."
He gestured to a side table where a thin folder sat. "This is your first fire. My company's flagship project is about to leak to the press. Find the source. Stop it. You have until noon."
Evelyn took the file with steady hands. Inside were emails, schedules, a list of employees—and nothing else.
"No passwords?" she asked.
He smiled faintly. "You'll figure it out."
And with that, he disappeared behind a glass door.
Evelyn looked down at the papers, then at the city stretching out below her. Day one, and she was already drowning.
But she didn't come to survive. She came to win.
Let the tower burn—she would rise from the smoke.