The boardroom felt suffocating, a tension hanging thick in the air. Ethan sat at the head of the table, his fingers drumming against the polished wood, his eyes scanning through financial reports. He looked outwardly calm, but a restless energy churned beneath his well-maintained façade.
He knew something was wrong. He could feel it. But even in the middle of his empire's unraveling, he hadn’t grasped the full scope of the threat.
The door creaked open, and the temperature in the room dropped. Ethan’s head snapped up, his eyes narrowing as a figure stepped in, cutting through the heavy silence.
Victor Kane.
No— not Victor Kane.
"Julian?" The word barely escaped Ethan’s lips, his voice hoarse with disbelief.
Julian stepped forward, his cold eyes locking with Ethan’s. There was nothing
