The Saturday morning sun reflected off the windows of Midtown Atlanta's apartment buildings, casting warm light across the waking city.
Ethan eased his new black Audi A7 into a reserved parking spot just outside their destination. The engine went silent as he turned the key.
He then turned to the passenger side where Lillian sat with her knees together and hands folded over a brown folder over her lap.
She wore a white blouse under a beige coat, her hair was tied in a low ponytail, completing her professional look.
She looked a lot more confident than previously, exactly the Midas Ethan remembered.
Ethan on the other hand wore a black suit with a white shirt underneath and black pants that matched his coat.
This, coupled with the car, was a way for Ethan to reward himself. Added to the fact that he couldn't just wear whatever was available in his wardrobe for something as important as this.
The previous week had been a busy one as the setting up of OmniTech Corp and making Lillian its COO was finalized, but they were almost done at this point and they only needed a workspace.
Which was exactly the reason they were here today.
"You nervous?" Ethan asked Lillian as he noticed that she was fidgeting with the folder a bit.
"A bit," she admitted, "I still can't believe all this is real."
Ethan offered a faint smile as he unbuckled his seatbelt and gestured to the folder in her hand. "It's real, you signed the contracts. You're COO now, remember?"
"I know," Lillian said, drawing in a slow breath as she stared at the glass and steel structure in front of them "it just feels unreal."
That made him let out a chuckle as he said, "you better get used to it."
She laughed nervously but relaxed slightly as they got out of the car and made their way up the stone steps toward the building.
It stood confidently on the corner of a quiet Midtown street. The building was three stories tall, with dark window panels and clean, sharp lines. It looked modern, professional, and understated, just the way Ethan wanted it.
A woman in her forties with short-cropped hair and a navy pantsuit greeted them at the front entrance.
"Mr. Carter? Miss Hayes? I'm Dana. The estate agent that you spoke with on the phone," The woman introduced "we've got everything prepped for final walkthrough and signing."
Dana was even more surprised at how young the two, who were about to buy this building, looked. They looked to be only a couple of years older than her kids and yet they were ready to start a company.
For a moment, she thought that this was some kind of prank, but their formal wear said otherwise, except maybe they rented them just for this prank.
Ethan, unaware of her thoughts, extended his hand towards her, a calm but polite looking on his face. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Dana. Thanks for getting everything ready."
He gave a brief nod toward the building behind her. "Let's take a look, then."
Inside, the building was spotless. The scent of fresh polish still lingered in the air. The lobby was wide, and functional. It had white walls with brushed steel accents, coupled with ambient lighting along the ceiling edges. It was a blank space waiting to be transformed.
"First floor is open-plan," Dana, still a bit skeptical, started as they walked across tiled floor. "Set up for about twenty to thirty workstations, with pre-installed routing and modular desks. All the wiring's ready for server racks if you need a secure room built out."
Lillian followed beside Ethan, eyes darting to every wall, doorframe, and ceiling light. "It's... a lot bigger than I imagined," she murmured.
"You were expecting something smaller?" Ethan asked with a raised brow.
"Not really, but don't you think this is too much for a startup office?" She clarified.
Ethan gave a slight shrug as they turned a corner, stepping into the spacious open floor plan bathed in natural light from the tall windows.
"Maybe it's too much for most startups," he replied. "But OmniTech isn't most startups."
Lillian glanced over at him before letting out a quiet sigh. He was right—her instincts told her that OmniTech Corp had the potential dominate the cybersecurity field with just Sentinel alone. And that wasn't even the full extent of Ethan's vision for the company.
The tour continued as Dana led them upstairs. The second floor had two private offices, a small lounge area, and a polished glass-walled conference room that overlooked the street below.
The third floor held the prize, an executive office with tall windows on two sides and a door leading to a modest rooftop terrace.
"This would be your office, I assume?" Dana asked Ethan.
Although she wasn't completely convinced, the kid's demeanor and their previous whispered conversation had at least instilled some measure of trust.
Ethan walked slowly into the space, hands in his pockets, his gaze sweeping across the skyline visible through the tinted glass. A wave of nostalgia washed over him as he took in the familiar view.
"Yes," he said, quietly.
Lillian lingered at the doorway behind him, then stepped in and slowly turned in place, taking it all in.
"This is unreal…" she whispered.
Dana gave a soft smile. "We'll finalize downstairs. Paperwork's digital, we just need your signatures and confirmation of funds."
Back on the ground floor, Dana brought up the closing documents on her tablet. She slid it across the table, where they sat, toward Ethan with a stylus.
"Ready?"
Ethan paused, then turned to Lillian. "You sign first."
Her eyes widened. "Wait, seriously?"
"You're the COO," he said. "Might as well start acting like one."
It was what he said, but internally, he knew—letting Lillian take the lead would make her feel empowered. And empowered people were easier to keep loyal.
She hesitated, fingers tightening on her folder, then slowly reached for the tablet. Her signature appeared in bold digital ink. When she finished, she passed it back to Ethan, who signed without ceremony.
Dana's tablet chimed and she sighed in relief. "Confirmed. Congratulations on the purchase, OmniTech Corp now officially owns the building."
She was just relieved this wasn't some kind of elaborate prank. For once, she was thankful she'd kept things professional. Imagine how embarrassed she would've been if she'd called them out, only to be completely wrong.
She smiled as she handed over a sleek black keycard and a metallic key fob. "Here are your access credentials. This will get you into all levels of the building. We'll have the digital ownership documents emailed to you within the hour."
With that, she walked towards the parking lot and drove away in her company's car a moment after.
Ethan then casually tossed the fob and keycard into Lillian's hands, before saying, "Go on, open the door."
Lillian blinked, as she awkwardly caught the keycard and glanced up at Ethan. "Me?"
"Once again, you're the COO," he said "you get the honors."
She let out a quiet laugh which her nerves a bit more, and made her way back to the front door. With a tap of the fob against the scanner, a soft beep followed by a click confirmed the lock had disengaged.
She turned back to Ethan with a grin. "That was way more satisfying than it should've been."
Ethan stepped up beside her, hands back in his pockets as the automatic door slid open.
"Welcome to the start of your empire, Ethan," he muttered to himself.