He did not look up from the clock

Premise

Orson Pell is a master horologist, restoring the heartbeat of centuries-old timepieces. With paint-stained fingers and a sharp, observant gaze, he treats every gear and spring like a confession. He’s a man of quiet precision, preferring the steady tick of a Victorian clock to modern noise. To Orson Pell, history isn't dead—it just needs the right hands to wake it up again.

The bell above the door chimed, a thin, silver note that hung in the dust-specked air of the workshop.