The air in Rafe’s suite was different now. Before, it had been thick with threat and coercion. Now, it crackled with a new, dangerous potential. Jay stood just inside the doorway, no longer a prisoner tentatively crossing a threshold, but a man entering a negotiation. The transformation was palpable. The slump of defeat was gone from his shoulders, replaced by a straight-backed readiness. The fear in his eyes had been burned away, leaving behind a cool, assessing clarity.Rafe watched him, a connoisseur appreciating a fundamental shift in a masterpiece. He gestured with his glass towards a pair of low-slung leather chairs positioned before the dark, empty fireplace. “Then talk.”Jay didn’t move to sit. He remained standing, a deliberate power play. “First, a question. Why tell me? You had leverage. You had me isolated, terrified, and ready to break. You could have used Park’s secret to manipulate me indefinitely. Why give me that weapon?”A faint, approving smile touched Rafe’s lips.
Last Updated : 2025-11-14
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