The morning sunlight filtered through the blinds as Veronica Lodge paced back and forth in the living room, her phone in hand. Reggie Mantle lounged on the couch, scrolling through his own phone, seemingly unconcerned about the day's visitor. The buzzing sound of the intercom broke the silence, and Veronica jumped slightly before pressing the button.

"Yes?" she said.

"Electrician," came a gruff voice.

Veronica let out a small sigh of relief and pressed the button to buzz him in. She turned to Reggie, who finally looked up. "He's here."

"Great," Reggie said, sitting up. "Let's hope this guy can figure out what's going on. If I have to listen to another random blast of Dua Lipa, I might lose it."

Veronica shot him a glare. "Let's not make jokes about it, Reggie. It's not funny. Something's off about this place."

Reggie shrugged. "I'm just saying, it's probably something simple. Bad wiring or whatever."

The electrician arrived a few minutes later, a wiry man in his mid-fifties with a weathered face and a toolbox that looked like it had seen better days. He introduced himself as Joe and immediately got to work, starting with the circuit breaker panel in the hallway.

Veronica hovered nearby, arms crossed. "The power's been cutting out randomly, and there have been... other strange things."

Joe raised an eyebrow but didn't comment. He flipped open the breaker panel, inspecting the wiring with a flashlight. "Well, the connections here look fine. Nothing tripped. No signs of a short circuit."

"That's weird," Veronica murmured. "So why did the power cut out?"

Joe shrugged, closing the panel. "Sometimes it's a voltage fluctuation. Could be the building's old wiring acting up. Could be nothing. I'll check the outlets and make sure everything's grounded properly."

As Joe moved through the apartment, Reggie leaned against the wall, watching him. "So, no spooky ghosts in the circuit breaker?" he joked.

Joe snorted. "Not unless they know how to rewire a GFCI outlet."

Veronica rolled her eyes. "You're not helping, Reggie."

After about an hour of testing, Joe returned to the living room. "I didn't find anything wrong. All the wiring checks out. No loose connections, no shorts, nothing burned out. Honestly, it's in good shape."

Veronica frowned. "Then why does the power keep cutting out?"

Joe scratched his head. "Could've been a temporary surge or something external. Sometimes things just… happen. But if it keeps up, call the landlord again, and I'll take another look."

"Great," Veronica said flatly, her frustration evident. "Thanks, I guess."

Joe nodded, packed up his tools, and left. As soon as the door closed, Veronica turned to Reggie. "I told you, Reggie. It's not just the wiring. Something weird is going on here."

"Or it's nothing, and we're psyching ourselves out," Reggie countered, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Let's just be glad the power's back on and focus on getting this place set up. Come on, you've been dying to finish your office."

Reluctantly, Veronica let herself be convinced. They spent the next few hours transforming the extra bedroom into her ideal workspace. They pushed the desk into the corner, hung artwork on the walls, and arranged her books on a sleek new shelf. By the time they were done, the room looked polished and professional.

Reggie stepped back, admiring their work. "Well, look at that. All it's missing is a little nameplate on the door that says, 'Veronica Lodge, CEO.'"

Veronica smiled for the first time that day. "It's perfect. And to celebrate, I'm ordering Italian."

"Now we're talking," Reggie said, pulling out his phone to check local takeout spots.

Half an hour later, the smell of garlic and marinara filled the apartment as they dug into plates of pasta and pizza. They sat at the dining table, the stress of the morning finally easing.

"This is good," Veronica said between bites of chicken piccata. "We needed this."

"Agreed," Reggie said, wiping sauce from the corner of his mouth. "Now that your office is set up, what's next? Throwing some kind of apartment warming party?"

Veronica raised an eyebrow. "That's not a bad idea. It could be fun. We can show everyone that we're settling into our new life."

Reggie nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, invite some of the neighbors, maybe. Or…" He hesitated. "Are you thinking about inviting anyone from Riverdale?"

Veronica's smile faltered, and she stared at her plate for a moment before answering. "I don't know. I mean, part of me wants to. I miss them. Betty, Jughead, Archie, Cheryl, Toni… they were my family. But another part of me feels like I need to keep my distance for now. I left Riverdale for a reason."

Reggie reached across the table, resting his hand on hers. "You can still miss them and want a fresh start, Ronnie. It's not one or the other."

Veronica sighed. "Maybe I'll send them an invite. If they want to come, they will. If not, no hard feelings."

Reggie grinned. "Now that's the spirit. Besides, can you imagine how much fun Cheryl would have with a party? She'd probably show up in some designer gown, claiming she owns the place."

Veronica chuckled at the thought. "Classic Cheryl."

As they finished their late lunch and cleared the table, the tension of the past few days seemed to lift, replaced by a cautious optimism. For the first time since moving in, Veronica allowed herself to feel a small glimmer of hope that things might actually work out. But deep down, she couldn't ignore the lingering sense of unease. Something still felt… off.

She glanced toward her new office, the light catching on the sleek edges of her desk. It looked perfect, but for some reason, she couldn't bring herself to step back inside. It was as if the air in that room had shifted ever so slightly, and the thought sent a shiver down her spine. She shook it off, forcing herself to focus on the here and now.

Tomorrow night would be their chance to start fresh, to celebrate their new home. Everything was going to be fine.

At least, that's what she told herself.