By the time I got home that evening, the city was already folding into dusk. The skyline outside my window glowed gold and bruised purple, the kind of light that softened everything it touched. My body hummed from exhaustion, but my mind was wide awake.

The meeting had gone better than I could have imagined. Forty-five thousand dollars pledged. Just like that. I’d made my case, walked the investor through the deck Carlos’ comms executive had prepared, and answered Liam’s questions without ...