ROWEN

The conference room emptied one executive at a time, all of them barely hiding the exhaustion etched on their faces. I remained seated, watching the last man tug at his tie as he stepped out. The moment the doors closed, silence hugged the room like a noose. I liked it this way.

James appeared seconds later, his tablet tucked under his arm, phone in hand, brows pinched.

He didn’t waste time.

“Ethan has scheduled another meeting with Aetherstone. 9:00 p.m. sharp tonight. Private suite. Off-record.”

I chuckled, the kind that carried more venom than humor. I stood, buttoning my blazer slowly.

James gave a slight nod. “We both know...