By six o'clock that evening, the sunset over Atlanta threw brilliant ribbons of molten copper, violet, and dark gold across the glass facade of the Apex Architecture tower.
Inside her vast new corner suite, Maya stood near the sweeping glass walls, watching the amber streetlights flicker to life forty floors below. She had traded her crisp business blazer for a fitted, emerald-green silk midi dress that elegantly hugged her caramel-gold skin, her dark hair pinned back with a few delicate curls framing her face. On her left hand, the emerald-cut diamond ring caught the twilight glow, flashing like a quiet, permanent promise.
The quiet click of the suite's private entrance door made her turn around.
Mario stood in the doorway, framed against the warm mahogany wood. He wore a dark navy tai
