Immediately he raised both hands, palms out like a man caught robbing a sacred temple.
"I mean it," he continued quickly. "Anything you want I'll give it to you. Money? Power? I have it. You want a company? I'll give you. You want your name in every hall in this city? I'll buy the damn headlines myself."
He was shaking now, his lips quivering.
"You want silence? You want secrets? You want files buried? I'll burn them myself. Just… name it, Cecilia. Anything at all. I'm willing to give you everything I have. Everything. Just… please."
The silence that followed was not one of fear, but of profound, unnerving intensity. Cecilia advanced, her footsteps echoing softly on the polished floor. Each step was measured, deliberate, a predator closing the final distance. She did not speak. She did not need to. Her movement was her language, and it spoke of a conclusion long since decided.
