After a while, the SUV which Riley and Stephanie are in rolled through the tall, steel gates of Styles Industries, the emblem engraved into the metal gleaming faintly under the morning sun. The moment the vehicle crossed into the compound, something shifted in the air.
Stephanie felt it before she saw it.
The car slowed to a smooth stop at the main entrance—glass, steel, and quiet authority rising like a monument to control. Even after yesterday, the scale of the place still intimidated her. This wasn't just a company. It was a machine, precise and unforgiving.
Before Riley could even step out, the doors opened.
Ethan stood there already, dressed immaculately as always, tablet tucked under one arm, a wide—almost too knowing—smile on his face.
"Good morning," he said brightly. "Right on time."
Stephanie blinked. "You were… waiting?"
