The atmosphere inside the Head Teacher’s office had shifted from a petty academic dispute to something far more primal and dangerous. Conrad Stone stood in the center of the room, holding his daughter with a tenderness that stood in terrifying contrast to the cold, predatory stillness of his gaze.
"You're a delusional fool," Mr. Richard Vance spat, stepping forward to close the distance. He was a man who measured worth in bank balances and tailor-made suits, and in his eyes, Conrad was nothing more than a ghost from a lower social stratum. "You think you can come in here and talk about 'shadows' and 'consequences'? Look at you. You’re a nobody. I could have you erased from this city’s records with a single phone call to the right people."
He reached out, his face twisted in a sneer, inte
