The bar was dimly lit, the air thick with the scent of whiskey and secrets no one dared speak too loudly.
Kian sat across from the man he hadn't seen in years, fingers loosely curled around the drink he had no intention of finishing.
Because this?
This wasn't a casual meeting.
It was a warning.
A reminder that Mercer wasn't just trying to beat him in the boardroom—he was digging deeper, searching for cracks in Kian's past.
And now?
Now, Mercer had found something.
Or worse—someone.
Kian exhaled slowly, keeping his expression unreadable as he studied the man before him.
Nathan Hale.
A name he had tried to forget.
A name that belonged to a part of his life he had buried a long time ago.
And yet, here he was.
Back again.
Pulled into Kian's world by Mercer's greed, by his need to control every piece on the board.