The world did not end with a sudden explosion; it leaked out through the corners of the digital universe. By the time the elevator reached the secure underground parking garage of Vargas Enterprises, the first tremors of Noah’s betrayal had already registered on the market. The stock ticker for the firm, usually a flat, reassuring green line, fluctuated with a jagged, nervous twitch.
Alejandro did not speak as he navigated the heavy town car out of the loop, bypassing the route to the penthouse entirely. He drove with a cold, mechanical precision, his knuckles white around the leather-bound steering wheel.
"Where are we going?" Emily asked, watching the concrete pillars of the city fade into the industrial landscape of the South Side. "The penthouse is where the files are."
"The penthou
