I walked back to the desk, my mind clearing as the old, familiar focus took over.

Restoring old furniture required patience, a steady hand, and the ability to see the hidden cracks beneath the varnish.

Nolan’s structure was rotting from the inside, and Sloane was the crack that would break it.

I opened a new email draft to Marcus.

“Where is Sloane right now?” I typed.

His reply came back less than a minute later.

“She’s at the corporate office on Arch Street,” Marcus wrote. “Nolan is out meeting with his legal team until five.”

I checked the clock on the wall.

It was just after three in the afternoon.

I had less than two hours before Nolan returned to his office, and less than ten hours before his deadline expired.

I needed to move quickly, but I had to go alone.

If my father’s security team intervened now, Sloane would panic and delete the files I needed.

I walked to the closet and pulled out my heavy wool coat and my purse.

I called the nurse’s station to let them know I would be stepping out for two hours.