# Chapter 3: Corporate Machinations
## Dan Industries Headquarters - Executive Suite
Ayan Dan stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows of her corner office, sixty stories above the Chicago skyline, her reflection superimposed over the city sprawling below like a modern-day empress surveying her domain. The anger from her encounter with Liam still simmered beneath her composed exterior, but years of corporate maneuvering had taught her to channel such emotions into fuel for more productive endeavors.
The sound of her office door opening barely registered as she continued to stare out at the city, her mind already working through various scenarios and contingencies. She knew who it was without turning around—Dr. Elena Vasquez, her head of research and development, had a particular way of entering rooms that somehow managed to be both respectful and urgent at the same time.
