JULIAN

I sat at my desk staring at nothing, the morning sun filtered through the windows, but I barely noticed it.

My mind was replaying the prison visit over and over, not the specific words, but the weight of what Victor had implied.

That I was weak and unprepared, that Adrian would escalate because desperate men always do, and Victor was right about one thing.

Adrian was desperate, the acquisition had failed. His financial situation was collapsing, his loans were coming due.

A man in that position didn't just accept defeat quietly, he did something drastic. I pulled up my laptop and started reviewing everything we knew about Adrian.

His...