I didn't look up from my tablet. I was running calculations on the repayment schedule, adjusting for a worst-case scenario.
"Sit down, Seb," I said calmly, tapping the screen. "You're pacing like a trapped rat."
"But Caroline, he's disrespecting you on purpose!"
"You look desperate," I said, finally glancing up at him. "And desperation smells like blood."
Sebastian stopped, looking at me with dissatisfaction. "So we just take it?"
"Let him wait," I said, my voice flat. "Every minute he wastes of my time, I'm going to chop a percentage point off the interest rate during the negotiation. He thinks he's power-playing me, but he's just handing me leverage."
Another fifteen minutes dragged by. Finally, the heavy oak door to the suite was pushed open.
Miss Patterson, Raymond's secr
