Matthew had floored the accelerator the entire way, the engine howling like a cornered beast as the car tore through evening traffic. What was supposed to be a twenty-minute drive turned into a reckless ten-minute sprint—an insane dash that blurred streetlights into bright, trembling streaks across the windshield. Speeding tickets, license suspension…the consequences didn’t even cross Paul Lacy’s mind. None of that mattered. All he cared about was salvaging the deal—one thin thread of hope he was desperately clinging to.
But the moment he skidded to a halt beneath the towering glass façade of Brooks Corporation—it was already too late.
6:05 p.m.
The lobby lights were dimming, and employees were pouring out of the building in steady streams, chatting, rubbing tired shoulders, eager to go
