Mike didn't deflect. He didn't offer a rehearsed answer about ambition or market influence.
Instead, he allowed a genuine silence to settle between them, the kind of silence that happens when someone is actually weighing the truth before speaking it. He let the question hang, letting her see that he wasn't afraid of the vulnerability it required.
"Understanding," he said finally.
His voice was quiet, carrying a weight that seemed to pull the air from the space between them. "I want to understand how this city actually works."
"Not the sanitized, polished version they teach in textbooks or show on the evening news... The actual version."
He leaned forward fractionally, his eyes locking onto hers with an intensity that made the restaurant's background noise feel like static. "I want to know who holds what."
"Who depends on whom. I want to see where the real decisions are made, versus where they only appear to be made."
