The conference room smelled of polished wood and quiet ambition. Rafael sat alone at the long table, sleeves rolled up, tie loosened, a legal pad spread before him like a battlefield map. Names, dates, shell companies, regulatory loopholes—everything Davin thought was invisible now lay exposed in ink and memory.

For weeks, Rafael had stopped sleeping properly. Not because of fear.

Because clarity was cruel.

He had loved Alyssa once in a way that felt like gravity. Unavoidable. Absolute. And losing her had hollowed him out until only purpose remained. If he couldn’t stand beside her anymore, then he would carve a path in front of her—one Davin would be forced...