“You’re five minutes late, Daniel,” Evelyn said, keeping her tone clipped and professional.

“The traffic on the main avenue was heavy,” Daniel replied, though his words slurred slightly on the last consonant.

Evelyn looked up from her paperwork, her dark eyes narrowing as she studied the loose slump of his shoulders.

Attorney Lin came into the room through a side door, carrying a blue binder pressed against his ribs.

He walked to the head of the table and sat down in his high-backed leather chair, taking his time to line his notepad up with the edge of the wood.

“Thank you all for arriving promptly,” Attorney Lin said, speaking at his usual painfully slow pace.