"Six thirty," Samuel muttered under his breath as he glanced at the polished clock hanging above the fireplace. He adjusted the cuffs of his suit jacket and flicked a speck of lint from his sleeve with silent irritation. The Blake mansion's grand dining hall stretched before him in all its exaggerated opulence, every inch exuding the legacy of a dynasty that had ruled industries for decades. Yet despite the golden chandeliers and immaculate silverware lining the table, there was a chill in the air that no luxury could warm.
