The Price of Being Seen

"It was observation." "Even better." Silence stretched. Not empty. Charged. "Good night, Ethan." "Good night, Nora." At 4:07 the next afternoon, the digest came late by eighteen seconds. Ethan noticed because he had built his whole nervous system around that minute. The subject line was different. 24H MARKET DIGEST - WARNING: COUNTERPARTY EVENT The message contained one item: 1. Alderpoint Ventures partner Marcus Vale asks: "Who the hell is Ethan Cole, and why is my sister protecting him?" Nora Vale had not mentioned a brother. And Marcus Vale, Ethan knew, controlled one of the most aggressive venture funds in America.