Ethan POV

The clock ticked too loud.

Always did when the office got quiet.

I sat behind the desk, staring at the glass wall. The city stretched under me, gray and restless. People moved like ants. Cars blinked in long, slow lines. Somewhere down there, the world kept living. Mine didn’t.

A soft knock broke through.

“Come in,” I said.

My secretary stepped in, careful like always. The smell of her perfume trailed with her—faint lavender. She held a tablet close to her chest.

“Sir,” ...