The days that followed marked a brutal reckoning for Next Gen Innovations. One after the other, companies operating under its vast umbrella began to crumble.
Brew Heaven, a popular cafe chain Evan and Maria had painstakingly built, was among the first casualties. Shutters fell on its doors across the city, signs were pulled down, and familiar, bustling cafes soon turned eerily quiet as the government swiftly seized control.
The shutdown was swift, almost surgical—a carefully coordinated operation conducted by the authorities.
