The elevator doors opened with a soft chime onto the thirty second floor of Star Engineering, releasing a controlled breath of cool air scented faintly with polished stone and filtered ventilation. The executive level reflected the same deliberate precision that defined the man who built it. Glass walls divided the space into clean geometric lines. Steel accents caught the morning light in controlled reflections, and the black marble floors held a muted shine that absorbed sound rather than echoing it.
Zane Reyes stepped out of the elevator with his usual measured pace, yet the tension in his shoulders resisted the calm authority of his tailored suit. Anyone watching closely might have seen that the stillness he carried required more effort than usual. He moved through the corridor with the disciplined focus that had guided years of negotiations and expansions, but a persistent pressure followed him like a second rhythm beneath the surface of routine.
