Mario POV
Simple.
For the first time in a long while, everything was simple.
Thumper was finally behaving the way she should have from the start—quiet, compliant, grateful. Where she was meant to be. That damn dog had almost ruined everything, nearly derailed months of careful planning with his hero act and false promises of freedom.
But in the end, she chose comfort.
She always would.
Every deadline had been met a week ahead of schedule. Every contract, every acquisition, every silence I required had been delivered without resistance. My empire moved like a well-oiled machine again.
All except for one inconvenience.
Today.
A company had decided my services were insufficient for their needs. As if they had the authority to decide such a thing. As if they existed without the system
