"Roland Carmichael, I'm counting on you for the financing. Let me toast you again." Olivia Sterling's face was already flushed crimson as she rose unsteadily from her seat, raising her glass toward the man across the table.
Roland Carmichael stood as well, a practiced smile settling across his features. "Olivia, we've known each other for years. No need for all the formality. Leave the funding matter to me." He tapped his chest with a magnanimous air, though the gesture carried the rehearsed quality of a man who made promises the way other people made small talk.
The two drained their glasses in one fluid motion, and the liquor burned down Olivia's throat like liquid fire.
The remaining guests exchanged glances across the table, a silent calculation passing between them. Darius Lexingto
