"How much do you get paid?" James said.
Maeve turned to look at him. She had almost forgotten he was there.
"For a Floor run," James said. "Standard rate. What's your number?"
She looked at him for a long second.
Then she glanced at Finn. "He thinks money is the thing."
"James—" Finn said quietly.
"I'm asking a real question," James said.
Maeve studied him. She was reading him properly now, the way she had not when he had first sat down.
"One million dollars," she said.
She said it the way you say a number you expect to finish the conversation.
Finn straightened on the sofa. "Maeve. That's—"
"Non-negotiable," she said pleasantly.
"That is three times your standard—"
"It's Floor 15, Finn."
James said, "Okay."
Maeve looked at him.
"Two million," James said.
The room went quiet.
Not dramatically. Just for a second, the way rooms do when something shifts.
