Morning came without the sun.
The city sky was covered in thin clouds that made the light feel dim and flat. From the apartment window, Sophia watched the street begin to fill with vehicles. Everything looked normal.
Too normal.
Yet their small world had just changed the night before.
Ethan stood in the kitchen, pouring black coffee into two cups. He had not slept more than two hours.
His mind was still replaying his conversation with Marcus.
Helix.
Leonard Graves.
A power alliance operating from the shadows.
He carried the cups to the table and set one down in front of Sophia.
"Thank you," Sophia said softly.
She stared at the coffee without drinking it right away.
"I keep thinking about one thing," she said.
Ethan sat across from her. "What is it?"
"If Helix has existed for a long time… that means they've been watching my mother's company from the very start."
Ethan nodded slowly.
"And when your mother refused to join them… they saw her as a threat."
