Chapter 12

Zayden’s POV

“So,” Dante said smoothly, “we’re agreed on the initial terms but the question is whether you’re willing to cede that much equity, mergers like this work best when there’s mutual trust.”

My jaw clenched, mutual trust? He had better be joking. The audacity almost made me laugh but I remained calm, I had learnt to control my emotions over time.

I pressed my fingers together and steadied my voice “Trust is an expensive currency Dante, It’s slow to build and very easy to lose. Everyone should understand that.”

His eyes flickered, good to know that he hadn’t forgotten because I sure as hell haven’t. He smirked, let the guilt rot him from the inside even while I smiled like nothing was wrong. He would get what was coming slowly, the fact that he had layed a hand on Rielle made my blood boil more

I kept my voice low. “Equity is negotiable but don’t mistake my willingness to merge for weakness.”

He chuckled, though it sounded forced. “I wouldn’t dare.” Liar pants on fire.

The silence that followed was thick, filled with all the words neither of us spoke. We’d been inseparable once. There was once two reckless boys who dreamed too big, who fought the world side by side.

He’d been the only one who knew the full story of my family and despite knowing, despite swearing loyalty, he’d chosen to betray that trust and loyalty we had built.

I’d been drowning then, desperate for him to stand by me. Instead he made a move, struck a deal, left me to choke alone. A moment of weakness, he called it later. A mistake but weakness wasn’t forgivable in our world. Weakness was what got you killed.

I swore then that I’d destroy everything he built, brick by brick, until he understood what it meant to lose everything but revenge was like fine wine, it needed patience. A wolf didn’t snarl the moment its prey appeared. It circled and it waited while it planned, It made the prey believe it was safe before it struck.

That’s the role I now play, the forgiving wolf. I leaned back in my chair, deliberately mirroring his posture. “The merger benefits us both, you gain access to my international network and I gain your regional dominance.When combined, we’ll be untouchable.”

Dante nodded but I caught the shadow of unease in his eyes, he didn’t trust me yet, that was fine. I just need to create a scenario where I can step in and save the day.

He tapped his pen against the table. “What about governance? Joint leadership?”

I smiled, slow and deliberate. “Joint in name, perhaps but let’s not pretend we’re equals. We both know who carries more weight in this arrangement.”

His jaw twitched, he didn’t like being reminded that I had outgrown him and even surpassed him. That while he had betrayed me to get ahead and he’d been busy patching holes in his crumbling fortress, I had been building empires.

Still, he forced a grin. “You haven’t changed, Zayden. Always needing the upper hand.”

“You mistake clarity for arrogance,” I replied evenly. “One of us has to see the board clearly.”

His eyes narrowed for a second, the mask slipping and I saw the man I used to know. A sharp, ambitious, proud man, he hadn’t changed much. The same man who had laughed with me until sunrise, who had covered my bruises with lies when I couldn’t explain them, who had promised me we’d rise together.

Then he changed, he became the man who took a knife and twisted it behind my back. I now see the man who’d betrayed me, any trace of nostalgia burned to ash.

I slid the draft agreement across the table. “The terms are outlined here. Review them and If you agree, we move forward. If not…well, there are other partners eager to sit in your chair.”

He took the papers, his fingers brushing the edges like they might bite him. His gaze lifted, meeting mine. “Why me, Zayden? You could merge with anyone. Why extend this offer to me, after everything?”

There it was, the question he’d been too afraid to ask.

I offered him the kind of smile that didn’t quite reach my eyes. “Because no one knows you like I do and no one knows me like you do. That kind of history is valuable, this merger will also do us both good”

He stared at me, searching for the trap hidden beneath my words. He wouldn’t find it, not while I had hidden it deep down. That was the beauty of the wolf’s mask, it showed teeth only when it was too late.

After a long moment, he set the papers down and leaned forward. His voice was low, almost vulnerable. “I regret it, you know. What happened back then, I shouldn’t have done that. I let greed take over”

The words hung in the air, heavy with the weight of years. I didn’t let them touch me, it was too late for apologies.

“Water under the bridge,” I said smoothly. “We’re businessmen, Dante. The past is irrelevant, this is time for us to make money and make our business strong”

In my mind, I whispered the truth he’d never hear. It’s not irrelevant, it’s the only thing that matters and you will pay for it, piece by piece. I will make sure I cripple whatever it is ypu think you’ve built out of betrayal.

We discussed figures and frameworks for another hour, both of us speaking the language of profit while the real conversation pulsed beneath every glance, every measured word. When at last he stood to leave, he extended his hand.

I took it, gripping just tight enough to remind him what lived beneath my smile.

“Here’s to new beginnings,” he said.

I held his gaze, the predator inside me already tasting the future. “Here’s to them,” I agreed.

We spoke some more and laughed before I walked him out the door, watching him walk to the elevator as I waved at him one final time before he disappeared.