Four days later
The car slowed as it pulled up in front of StoneTech. Bella's first instinct was to tell the driver to keep going.
The building loomed ahead of them, glass walls glowing from the inside, lights spilling out like the company itself was breathing. Banners fluttered gently in the evening breeze, bearing StoneTech's insignia alongside sleek visuals of fabric, form, and movement.
Music drifted faintly from within, elegant and deliberate, the kind that made your spine straighten without you realizing it. This wasn't just an event. This was a statement.
Bella's fingers tightened around the strap of her purse as she stared through the window. Her reflection looked composed, but she could feel the truth beneath it; nerves curling low in her stomach, old fears stirring awake.
Rachel sat beside her, calm in a way that only came from someone who had already walked through fire and learned how to breathe afterward. She glanced at Bella, instantly sensing the shift.
