He stepped outside again, numb. The rain had eased, yet the world still felt heavy. He crouched beside the newsstand and buried his face in his hands. He pulled out his phone to call his mother, but before he could dial, a message appeared.
“Mr. Rios, please return to the building. Executive Office requests your presence immediately.”
Mateo blinked at the screen. Executive Office? That could not be right.
He returned cautiously. The receptionist looked surprised when she verified the request, then pointed him toward a private elevator.
When the doors opened on the top floor, he found himself in a spacious office overlooking the skyline. And seated behind the desk was Cyrus Warren.
Cyrus rose. “I was hoping you would come back. Please, sit.”
Mateo lowered himself into the chair, still dripping rainwater.
“My mother is recovering. If not for you, she might have collapsed into the street. I will not forget that.”
Mateo looked down at his hands. “I only did what anyone should have done.”
Cyrus smiled faintly. “Yet you were the only one who did. And that tells me something important.”
He opened a folder. Mateo recognized his résumé inside.