The neon lights of the city flickered against the damp concrete of the underground parking garage. Clara’s heels clicked rhythmically in the empty expanse, the sound echoing off the low ceiling. It was past two in the morning. Exhaustion weighed heavy on her shoulders, but the phone pressed to her ear kept her alert.
"I am telling you, Ares, the quarterly projections are stable," Clara said, unlocking her car remotely with a sharp beep. "You do not need to review them tonight."
"Stable is not sufficient, Clara," Ares’s voice crackled through the speaker, crisp and unyielding. "Julian’s sudden departure has caused a two percent dip in our stock value. I need to reassure the shareholders by morning."
"You need to sleep. That is what you need," Clara retorted, stopping by the trunk of her
