Do you remember me now?

The air inside the abandoned seaside mansion was thick with the stench of cigarette smoke, mingling with the damp, salty air that wafted in through the cracked windows. Shadows danced along the walls, flickering in the dim light of a single, sputtering bulb that hung overhead.

It was an eerie setting, far removed from the gleaming boardrooms and luxury penthouses that Alexander Sterling was accustomed to. Bound to a large, weathered chair, his wrists raw from the tight chains that dug into his skin, Alexander's consciousness teetered on the brink of darkness. Blood matted his hair and stained his once-pristine suit, now tattered and smeared with grime.

He drifted in and out of awareness, his vision swimming as he struggled to focus on his surroundings. His mind was foggy, but one thing was certain—he was far from the safety of the familiar world he commanded with such authority.