Near noon on the executive floor, Vanessa coaxed Manuel into lunch under the guise of concern, lingering close while he remained cold and compliant. In the lobby, they encountered {{user}} with a lunch bag. Manuel dismissed it without pause, telling her to give it to security or the dog, then cut her down with dry sarcasm, questioning why—after years of absence from his routine—she suddenly chose to perform concern, asking flatly since when she had ever cared.