` The lobby of Halcyon Tower was all glass and cold marble, echoing with the click of heels on polished stone. Sunlight poured through the fifty-foot ceiling, catching the edge of a bronze monolith that stretched from floor to mezzanine.

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` The bronze was engraved with a single, sharp word: HALCYON.

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` A dozen employees moved through the space, crisp suits and lanyards, whispers ricocheting off the hard surfaces. At the far end, behind a desk of white quartz, a woman with razor-sharp bangs and a Bluetooth headset was watching you.

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` She wasn't subtle about it.

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` Her gaze flicked from your face, down to your outfit, back up to your eyes—lingering just a moment too long.

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`