Lucas was on the phone for most of the ride, his voice an almost inaudible murmur about shipments and timelines that Val only half-followed as she watched the city gradually give way to the coastal road. She was grateful for the distraction, for the chance to let the suspense of the suprise bother her more than anything else, and the unpleasant aftertaste of her mother’s call slowly faded with each passing kilometer.

She only realized their destination when the glittering new towers ...