The night before, he'd been drinking and playing cards with several senior executives from the local branch until dawn. He hadn't fallen asleep until seven in the morning.
Then, half an hour ago, Simon's phone call dragged him out of bed.
The hangover was brutal. His head felt split open, his body heavy with exhaustion. He'd gone straight to the hotel fridge, grabbed a bottle of ice water, and downed the entire thing before finally feeling halfway human again.
"I heard you pulled the plug on the Dawnblade deal." His voice was rough with sleep, low and slightly hoarse. "What happened? Dawnblade already completed its tech upgrade. It's got way more momentum than Apex Tech right now. The deal was practically in your hand already. Suddenly walking away..."
He gave a quiet chuckle. "Doesn't
