Chapter 4 — The Locked Drawer

Daniel Hayes

The faint hum of the air conditioning filled Daniel Hayes’s office, a constant backdrop to the pristine stillness of the space. The city skyline stretched out beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, a tableau of ambition and achievement. His glass desk reflected the faint afternoon light, its surface barren except for his laptop, a neatly stacked set of reports, and a single pen angled to perfection. The faint scent of polished wood and leather hung in the air, grounding him in his meticulously ordered world.