The air inside the corporate headquarters of Ashdown Enterprises was always thick with the quiet hum of absolute power.
By Tuesday afternoon, the tension had reached an all-time high. The highly anticipated regional expansion meeting had officially begun, and Dominic, along with the entire inner circle of senior executives and primary board members, had been locked inside the top-floor boardroom since noon. It was a high-stakes, four-hour marathon of numbers, legalities, and territorial expansion.
Dominic sat at the head of the long mahogany table, his tie slightly loosened, his expression a mask of intense concentration. He was entirely focused on protecting his empire, completely unaware of the shadow creeping through his fortress.
Downstairs, the elevator doors slid open with a sof
