The line rang twice before a sharp click sounded through the small room.

“Vance,” a brisk, terse voice barked through the speaker.

Background noise hummed behind him, the distinct metallic rattle of desk keys and distant office chatter.

“Alan, it is Ethan,” he said.

“Ethan, good,” Alan Vance said, his tone urgent and direct.

“Tell me the slide deck for the quarterly launch is finalized and loaded onto the server.

We have seventy stakeholders logging into the conference bridge at nine sharp.”

Ethan took a step toward the kitchen window, looking out into the gray winter rain tapping against the glass.