The boardroom emptied like a battlefield after ceasefire.
No one raised their voice, but the silence carried more threat than any shouting ever could.
Papers rustled. Chairs scraped against the marble floor. The glass walls reflected the city's skyline, a panorama of steel, smoke, and morning light, while inside, the predators moved in quiet, deliberate steps.
Merlin rose last.
He'd expected relief. He'd just walked through a den of corporate beasts and walked out alive. But instead, there was a strange stillness in his chest, the same kind that came before a storm.
Kael had already left through the side door, his aides falling in line behind him. Victor Draven followed with a sharp laugh, clapping Merlin's shoulder hard enough to sting.
"Two hundred million," he said, still grinning. "Hah! You've got iron where most men have water. Don't lose that, Everhart."
Merlin tilted his head slightly, a hint of a smirk touching his lips. "Wouldn't dream of it."
