At 5:30 PM, the sun began to dip toward the horizon, casting long, golden shadows across the concrete jungle of Valor City.
After picking up Alex Lacy from school and dropping her off safely at the hotel suite, Matthew Powell returned to the Lacy Corporation. As he walked toward the entrance, he spotted a familiar figure pacing in the lobby.
Scarlet Leaf looked like she had been there for hours. She was leaning against a pillar, checking her watch every thirty seconds, her expression sour. Her foot tapped an impatient rhythm on the marble floor.
The moment she saw him, she stormed over, her voice full of annoyance and pent-up frustration. "Why are you so late? I've been waiting forever! Do you know how boring this lobby is?"
Matthew ignored her temper and the stares of the receptionist
