Excellent! Here's the direction I'll lead us in next for Chapter 4:
Chapter 4: Interview with the Unknowing
We follow Rina into her job interview, where she unknowingly impresses a junior executive from Kane Corp, who secretly reports back to Eliot.
The chapter introduces a hidden connection between Rina's late father and the Kane Corporation—hinting her family's downfall might be tied to Eliot's
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Chapter 4: Interview with the Unknowing
Rina hated elevators almost as much as she hated pity.
Both made her stomach turn.
She gripped her portfolio tighter as the doors opened to the 16th floor. The offices of CorePath AI were small, modern, and humming with quiet focus. A young woman with tight curls and sharp glasses welcomed her with a nod.
"Ms. Maxwell? This way."
Rina followed, nerves under control—barely.
Inside the glass-walled conference room sat a man no older than thirty, stylishly underdressed in a blazer and sneakers. He introduced himself as Luca Voss, head of strategy.
"You're from Maxwell Engineering?" he asked, flipping through her file.
"Formerly," Rina corrected. "My father's company went under three years ago."
Luca raised an eyebrow. "You were just out of high school then. And yet you handled inventory and client retention?"
She met his gaze. "I didn't have a choice."
Luca smiled. Not mocking. Impressed.
"Tell me why you want to work here," he said.
"Because I'm done surviving," Rina replied. "I'm ready to build again."
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An hour later, Luca returned to his office and dialed a number labeled simply E.
"She's sharp," he said when Eliot answered. "Gutsy. Got that fire you like. But here's the kicker—her dad? Andrew Maxwell. Name ring a bell?"
Eliot's hand tightened around his phone. Andrew Maxwell was once Kane Corp's fiercest competitor in green-tech development. A man who mysteriously vanished from the industry… right before Eliot's father died.
"Keep her close," Eliot said, voice low. "And don't tell her a thing."
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