The hour had already begun its steady crawl toward late afternoon by the time Al and his entourage descended toward the lobby of the Alasia Group's branch office.
The mellow amber glow of the sun—slowly sinking toward the horizon—filtered through the vast glass walls, scattering warm reflections across the polished surface of the pale-gray marble floor that gleamed like still water.
The atmosphere inside the building had grown noticeably quieter.
Several employees had just finished their work, others were packing their bags, and the soft hum of the air-conditioning combined with scattered footsteps created a tranquil, almost ceremonial backdrop.
Al and the others had spent the last several hours discussing spiritual threats—most notably Al's intention to 'educate' Daraka and the Norvalien family with a lesson they would not soon forget.
And now, with the meeting wrapped up, it was time for Al to 'return home' and resume the façade of the dutiful son of the Virellano family.
