CHAPTER 151 - Deal Settled.

The wooden door groaned on its hinges, swinging shut behind them. Inside, the house felt like another world—dim and cloistered, the air thick with the faint scent of wood polish and herbs. The faint tick-tock of a clock punctuated the heavy silence as Thorin gestured toward the table in the center of the room, its surface scattered with blueprints, tools, and scraps of parchment.

"Please sit," Thorin muttered, dropping into a chair opposite the one he'd offered. His tone carried a sharp edge, but Alex didn't take offense. He understood the weight the man carried.

He had used Thorin's mother to shake the guy last time, but it had been a while since then, and as Alex didn't contact the guy at all, he might be harboring doubts.

Alex pulled back the chair, its legs scraping faintly against the floor, and sat. Thorin's eyes never left him, wary and probing.

"You're not here for small talk," Thorin said flatly, folding his arms across his chest.