I made my rounds through the crowd, forcing the smile that I wore like armor. Handshakes. Names. Praises. The usual performance. But tonight felt different — like every eye was watching me because he’d placed me under the spotlight.
“Ms. Legend,” a baritone voice drawled from behind me. “The woman of the hour.”
I turned to find Earlson, the telecom magnate Ahmir warned me about — tall, aging like old money, gaze crawling in places that had nothing to do with business.
“Your expansion projections are… impressive,” he said, holding my hand too long.
I smiled, polished and unbothered. “Impressive is the minimum I aim for.”
He chuckled, leaning in. “We should discuss your Asia corridor opportunities. Preferably over dinner. Something private.”
I was ready with a diplomatic decline — but
