Jay sat at his desk, fingers moving across the keyboard in the same steady rhythm they always did. The office floor hummed with its usual afternoon rhythm, phones ringing softly, the low murmur of voices drifting from the glass conference room down the hall. His eyes felt heavy after the weekend celebration, the kind of sleepy haze that lingered from late nights and cold beer. He blinked once, forced his focus back to the screen, and kept working.
Asher's chair across from him was empty. He had gone to order coffee a few minutes earlier, leaving the shared desk quiet. Jay welcomed the silence. He didn't look up when footsteps approached. He didn't need to.
Elena stopped at the center of the open floor. Her voice carried clear and sharp.
"Mr. Ashford wants to celebrate the team's recent momentum. We're doing a late dinner tonight at Lumina. No excuses everyone,you all should be there."
