The boardroom on the 92nd floor of SparkDigital HQ was a temple of modern power.
The table was black marble, impossibly long, veined with gold like lightning in the dark. Each chair was hand-stitched Italian leather, embossed subtly with the company crest—a lion's head flanked by circuit lines. A digital projection wall cycled through softly glowing data graphs and global news. The scent in the air was fresh cedar and something more elusive—wealth, legacy, fear.
Avery Emerson Delaney stepped through the double doors at precisely 4: 25 p m.
Impeccable.
Charcoal three-piece suit, pale blue pocket square. Not a strand of his golden brown hair out of place. His cufflinks glinted like wolf's eyes. Emerlad green eyes sharp and dissecting. He nodded once to the assistant at the door. Then he walked the length of the room in silence, ignoring the sidelong glances, and took the head seat at the table.
