The new office was beginning to feel real.
Not the temporary startup energy Ethan had been used to, but something heavier—power. Screens glowed across the trading floor, analysts moved between desks, and the quiet rhythm of keyboards tapping felt like the pulse of a living machine.
Ethan stood in the center of it all.
Seventeen years old.
And already people twice his age were waiting for his decisions.
Aria stood beside him reviewing the morning reports. She wore a deep navy blazer over a soft gray blouse, sleeves rolled slightly as she worked through the financial projections. The sunlight from the tall windows reflected faintly in her dark hair as she leaned over the tablet.
"Shipping indices are shifting faster than expected," she said calmly. "Your algorithm predicted a correction in two weeks. It's happening now."
Ethan stepped closer, studying the numbers.
"External pressure," he muttered.
"Competitor interference?" Aria asked.
"Possibly."
Across the room, Caleb Hawthorne watched them.
He had been hired officially as a logistics strategist, but his real focus seemed to drift constantly toward Aria. Every few minutes his gaze returned to her.
Ethan noticed.
At first it was subtle.
Then it became irritating.
Then something else entirely.
Jealousy.
A new feeling.
One he wasn't used to calculating.
Caleb approached their desk casually.
"Morning," he said. "I ran the distribution models you asked for."
He handed the tablet to Aria.
She leaned slightly closer to examine it.
Ethan felt something tighten in his chest.
It was irrational.
But real.
"You're adjusting the secondary route algorithm," Aria said, impressed. "That's actually clever."
Caleb smiled.
"I thought you'd notice."
Ethan folded his arms.
"Interesting," he said flatly. "But it increases fuel variance by 4.3%."
Caleb blinked.
"You calculated that already?"
"I calculated it three hours ago."
The silence that followed could have sliced glass.
Aria glanced between them.
Then returned to the screen.
"We'll combine both models," she said calmly. "Ethan's efficiency prediction with Caleb's adaptive routing."
Ethan didn't respond.
But his eyes lingered a moment too long on Caleb.