Digital Decorum Chapter 1 VIDEO

 Digital Decorum  Chapter 1 VIDEO

Digital Decorum  Chapter 1

The air on the 42nd floor of Hudson Yards carried the metallic taste of success and the flawless filtration of conditioned air. Ethan Vance adjusted the cuff of his shirt, an unnecessary gesture that concealed the fact he was precisely timing the guest’s entrance into the lounge. In contemporary New York, no one looks directly at anyone else; modern etiquette demands a polished indifference, a transparent armor that only the most attentive know how to pass through without a sound.

Claire Sterling arrived exactly at 6:00 p.m. She wasn’t someone who merely walked—she moved with the ease of someone who understands the space she occupies. Her tailored suit, a shade of blue so deep it nearly appeared black, struck the perfect balance between elegance and control. She sat at the bar and placed her phone—a clearly valuable device—on the marble with almost meticulous precision.

A dry martini, she told the bartender. In the mirror behind the bottles, her eyes met Ethan’s for a brief, deliberate moment.

It was an exchange of classic courtesy in an environment ruled by screens and invisible signals. Ethan did not smile. There was no greeting. Instead, he slid a small white business card across the bar, barely grazing the surface. To any observer, it was a casual gesture; to them, it marked the beginning of something carefully measured.

It seems we’ve lost the habit of conversation, Miss Sterling, Ethan remarked, his voice low and even, crafted not to travel beyond their immediate circle. We prefer automated systems to organize our certainties.

Claire took the card without looking at it and slipped it into her bag with the calm of someone filing away relevant information.

Certainties are delicate, Mr. Vance, she replied, turning slightly. And in this country, we’ve learned that sometimes it’s more proper to let silence complete the conversation.

In that moment, Ethan understood that the relationship visible to the rest of the world was only the beginning. Beneath Manhattan’s refined digital decorum, something had shifted in a way that could not be reversed.