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“At the office mostly. My office. Not my father’s. I’ve had my own business for the last...wow, it’s nearly two years. I started it once I left the family business.”

I nod. I haven’t asked him much about his business. If I could guess, I’d say he wanted to share more. Austin has been bringing it into conversation more frequently, dropping small hints. But I’ve never asked about it. I’m not entirely sure why, but the gnawing in my gut has prevented me from acting on my curiosity.

“You’re unnervingly quiet, Killer. What are you thinking?”

What am I even thinking? That this is the weirdest apartment I’ve ever seen, or that I’m sad for him. Has he always lived like this? Alone, with no personal effects, nowhere to make him feel safe and cozy. No wonder he kept coming back to the basement. I’d left him things so he was cared for and warm, despite being chained up. I look around the bleak room and feel a sudden prick in my eyes. My back is turned to him so he can’t see my face, but he must sense my unease.

He wraps his warm hand around mine. “Come on. Let me show you what I really do.”

I nod, expecting him to guide me to another room, but instead, he picks up his keys, and we walk straight out the door.

Austin

I park the car in front of my warehouse and step out to open Olivia’s door for her. Aside from the staff and the odd city health inspector, no one’s been here. The warehouse is technically owned by a shell company, nothing that could be traced back to me. There are cameras around the whole building, partly out of habit, but partly out of concern that once my father realizes I’m building a solid foundation elsewhere, he’ll bulldoze it. And my dream of a new life in theprocess.

I type the code into the security system and push the heavy door through. Stepping over the bund wall that sits half a foot above the ground, I hold out my hand to assist Olivia. She hops down into the warehouse, and her eyes bug out.

I grin, knowing that this must be the last thing she’s been expecting, despite my attempts to engage her in conversation about my operation.

She lets go of my hand, her feet carrying her through the rows and rows of shelving units above.

“This is your business?”

“Yeah.” I shift between my feet, waiting to see a proper reaction.

She wanders down the rows of plants. She leans up on tiptoes to study the different species.

“What’s this one?” she asks, admiring the deep purple leaves.

“The technical name is oxalis triangularis. Here”—I snap off a deep purple leaf and hold it out to her—“try it.”

She takes the leaf from me, frowning. I pull off another leaf and pop it into my mouth, chewing.

I've never thought I could be jealous of a leaf until I see Olivia slowly place the purple triangle onto her tongue. She chews, frowning until her eyes pop open in surprise.

“The flavor . . . It's so sharp. What is it?”

My lips pull upward. “It tastes like a granny smith apple, right?”

“Oh my god. Yes, it really does. Can I?” She points to the plant again.

“Yeah, go ahead...but just wait because I have more to show you.” I tear off one more and hand it to her before taking her hand toward another section of the warehouse.

We wander hand in hand down each aisle. The viridescent greens contrast against the purple LED lights. The smell of earth fills my nostrils, and a sense of calm descends. Each question Olivia asks leads to another and another. She’stalking about superfood recipes, incorporating the protein- and nutrient-filled microgreens into her channel and showing her followers how they could build a small hydroponic system like mine.

“Are you trying to put me out of business?” I tease.

“Oh gosh, I’m sorry. I got carried away. But Austin, this is amazing. What you’ve built is unbelievable. It’s huge here. And there are so many varieties of plants, things I’ve never even heard of. And the flavors...I just can’t believe it.”

“And they’re more nutritious. For example, the pea shoots here have forty times more nutrients than an actual pea.” I pick off a shoot and pop it in my mouth. She follows suit and chews, humming her approval.

“So, you sell these to restaurants?”

“Yes. It’s done better than I could have imagined. It’s good to build something beneficial for everyone involved.”

She nods, running her fingers along the industrial shelving units we use to hold the plants.

“How did you learn all this?”