"Send him in," Samantha said coolly, her tone smooth as glass.
The receptionist's voice crackled faintly through the intercom. "Mr. Marcus Reed to see you, Ms. Bradley."
A few seconds later, Marcus stepped through the glass doors of Elevate's top floor — a confident, dark-suited silhouette against the city skyline. His presence filled the room the way smoke did: subtle at first, then all-consuming.
Samantha rose from her chair, her expression polite but distant. "Mr. Reed. You don't usually make surprise visits."
He smiled, the kind of smile that wasn't warmth but a calculated move. "Well, I find that business becomes more honest when it's… unexpected."
"Or invasive," she countered lightly, motioning toward the seat across from her desk.
