The afternoon sun slanted through the tinted windows of the car, throwing soft streaks of gold across the black leather seats. Manhattan was humming. Taxis honking, pedestrians crossing in hurried bursts, the city’s rhythm pulsing beneath its polished surface. Inside the quiet of the car, I sat poised, a folder balanced neatly on my lap. My phone vibrated once, a reminder for the investor meeting in fifteen minutes.

Gloria had insisted on accompanying me, but I had declined. I needed the ...