Morales hadn't stopped watching Ryan through all of this — the same warm, settled attention, the smile present but doing less work than it had been at the start of the meeting.
"You came prepared," Morales said.
"It's an important meeting," Ryan said.
"Most come in here nervous," Morales said. "Even people who have nothing to worry about. The environment—" he gestured vaguely at the room, "—tends to produce a certain anxiety."
"I don't have anything to worry about," Ryan said. "So I'm not anxious."
Morales looked at him.
The warmth was still there. But something behind it had shifted in a way that was subtle and deliberate — the friendliness becoming a tool being considered rather than a default being offered.
"Tell me about your relationship with Diana Lockridge," he said. "Beyond the investment."
"Professional," Ryan said. "She's an investor and an advisory board member. We communicate regularly about the company."
"How regularly."
