The atmosphere at the Highlands Lounge didn't just cool after Jake and Catharine's departure; it solidified into something jagged and uncomfortable.
Adrian Vale, who had watched the entire spectacle with the detached precision of an apex predator, adjusted the cuffs of his tailored shirt. He took one look at Marcus Crane—the man currently slumped over a laptop, looking like he'd been hollowed out from the inside—and felt a wave of profound boredom.
"I believe the entertainment for the evening has concluded," Adrian stated, his voice clipping through the low murmur of the terrace. He didn't offer a word of comfort to Marcus; in his world, incompetence was a social contagion, and he had no intention of catching it. "Leon, thank you for the... enlightening demonstration. I have a prior engagement I'd rather not miss. Excused."
