Layla peeked at her watch and raised an eyebrow, "Mr. Frucht, is this a new trend for you to clock in at this hour?"

She had this image in her head of CEOs strutting in their offices before 8 a.m., sipping on iced coffees and dialing into video calls across the globe as the sun rose. But Tristan's delay didn't quite fit the bill.

Tristan stayed quiet with a steely expression while his assistant James, in the passenger seat, chimed in, "Usually, we arrive at 7:20..."

James ...