The shrill ring of Nathan's phone cut through his sleep like a knife. He fumbled for it on the nightstand, nearly knocking over the dice in the process. The screen showed 6:47 AM and Raymond's name.
Nathan's stomach tightened. Raymond wouldn't call this early unless something was wrong.
"Raymond?" Nathan answered, his voice rough with sleep.
"Nathan, I'm so sorry to wake you, but I just got off the phone with Marcus Chen." Raymond's voice was tight with frustration. "The restaurant deal is off."
Nathan sat up fully, suddenly wide awake. "What? What happened?"
"Someone swooped in over the weekend and made an offer Chen couldn't refuse. Cash, full price, immediate close. The deal closed at midnight last night." Raymond paused. "Nathan, it was the Nashville family. One of their subsidiar
