—Alec—

Time drifted slowly.One moment, I was in my bedroom, still processing the fact that Mabel Parker hadn’t called or tried to reach out. The next, I was seated in the boardroom of my company’s skyscraper, rounding off a meeting with my team for the government contract as the afternoon sun bathed Washington city in its golden haze.

My company, the Rivera Group, had secured a spot among the top contenders for the contract, and had been invited to the Federal Conference taking place ...