They left the coffee shop an hour later, walking through the nearby park. The morning sun filtered through the trees, casting dappled shadows across the path. Salome had relaxed even more, her laughter coming easier, her smiles more genuine.
"So what about you?" she asked, bumping his shoulder lightly with hers. "What does Malachi King do when he's not running his empire?"
"Honestly? Not much." He smiled. "I work a lot. Too much, probably."
"No hobbies? No secret passions?"
"I collect watches. And I have a penthouse with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city. I spend a lot of time just... looking out at it. Watching the lights come on at night."
"That sounds lonely."
"It is," he admitted. "But it's also peaceful. No one asking anything of me. No demands. Just silence."
"I ge
