LADY BLACK HAT’S OFFICE – 10:27 AM.

Black Hat sat behind her massive desk, claws steepled, a grin full of teeth splitting her face. The room was dim despite the daylight outside, shadows curling unnaturally along the walls as if they too were listening.

“Mmhmhmhm…” a low chuckle escaped her as her crimson eyes narrowed on the empty chair across from her. She wasn’t impatient — not yet. She thrived on silence, on tension, on the moment before someone finally broke.

She tilted her head just slightly, the smile never fading. Her hat’s brim hid half her face now, making the gleam in her eye all the more unnerving.

“Well?” She asked at last, her voice smooth and cutting through the still air like a blade.

“What do you want?”

She waited, perfectly still, as though daring the answer to be anything less than entertaining.