It was still an enormous number, real money that Eclipse would genuinely feel, and nobody on Yuna's side of the table had blinked at paying it. Mercer initialed where the tabs told him to, fast, wanting the pen out of his hand. Yuna watched him do it and thought of a girl in her best blouse, one floor up, three years ago, initialing pages at exactly that speed. It felt like the books balancing.
They were at the door when Mercer spoke again, and the salesman was gone from the voice.
"Doing what you do... People won't stand aside and let you keep bullying them forever. Sooner or later, your methods will catch up to you."
"We're not in the business of making friends," Ms. Rook said, unhurried. "Not with people like you."
"That's not how it works. You may grow big, but even giants can be taken down by many little-"
"You may try." Ms. Rook shrugged and was out of the door, not interested in what he had to say one bit.
