The rapid-fire integration of the various regional subsidiaries into the centralized architecture of Kane & Co. had reached its final, polished phase. While the heavy lifting had been expertly navigated by Lucas and his elite management team, Lora Hale remained gripped by an unyielding sense of responsibility. She was the architect of the firm's day-to-day operations, and the thought of being absent while the cement was still wet on their new corporate structure filled her with a persistent, nagging anxiety. It was this meticulous nature—the very trait that had allowed her to survive the sharks in Crown City—that finally prompted her to signal to Ace Kane that their mountain retreat had to end.
Before the tires of the Audi Q7 could taste the asphalt of the highway again, Ace Kane accompan
