CASSIAN
The meeting had been a waste of time from the moment it began. Two hours of Hendrix Corporation executives cycling through projections, reports, and strategic summaries I already knew by heart, all of them speaking in careful, moderated tones as if one wrong syllable might set me off.
They watched me the way people watched explosives... politely, nervously, always aware of the potential damage.
They were right to be cautious.
Alexander Hendrix himself... the golden boy, the heir apparent, the man everyone bent around... had not even bothered to show up. That omission had not been accidental. It had been deliberate, calculated, and insultingly transparent.
"Mr. Hendrix sends his apologies. He's addressing urgent matters in Geneva but will arrive tomorrow."
The excuse had been delivered smoothly, rehearsed to sound sincere.
It was bullshit.
