Julian stood at the glass window of his office, his fingers tightening around the edge of his whiskey glass. The golden liquid swirled lazily inside, but he barely noticed. Vienna’s skyline stretched before him, a city that had once been his playground, his kingdom. Now, it felt like a gilded cage.
The fallout from his confrontation with Edmund had been swift. In the past twenty-four hours, two board members had demanded an emergency meeting, his legal team had flagged a potential lawsuit, and the press had started digging for any cracks in his empire. Julian could almost hear Edmund laughing in the distance, reveling in the chaos.
A soft knock at the door pulled him from his thoughts.
“Come in,” he muttered, not bothering to turn around.
The door clicked open, and he knew who it was b
