I carefully examined Conrad Thornton's face as he opened his door. His handshake was clammy, his smile forced. Dark circles hung beneath bloodshot eyes that couldn't quite et mine.
"Welco, Liam," he said, voice wavering slightly. "Please, co in."
Conrad's usually immaculate ho felt different today. No servants bustled about. The air hung heavy with tension.
"I appreciate the invitation," I said, deliberately keeping my tone light. "Though it was rather unexpected."
Conrad's shoulders tensed as he led to the dining room. "Yes, well, I thought we could discuss so... business matters over food."
The dining room was set for three, though Conrad had ntioned nothing about another guest. I noted it silently, filing away the detail as I took my seat.
"You seem troubled, Conrad," I observed, watching him fidget with his napkin. "Is everything alright?"
"Fine. Everything's fine," he answered too quickly. "Just... so family matters. Nothing for you to worry about."
I nodded, not pressing further. The food arrived—brought by Conrad himself rather than servants. Unusual for soone of his status. As he set the plate before , I noticed his hands trembling.
"You know," I said casually, cutting into my steak, "life is full of monts where we make decisions that change everything. One choice can determine whether we walk a path of honor or disgrace."
Conrad nearly dropped the water pitcher. A few droplets splashed onto the tablecloth.
"I... I suppose that's true," he managed.
I took a bite of food, chewing slowly. "This is excellent, by the way. Your chef has outdone himself."
Conrad remained standing, shifting his weight from foot to foot. "Thank you. I'll pass along your complints."
The front door opened quietly, and footsteps approached the dining room. Conrad's eyes darted to the doorway, his face paling further.
"Ah, our guest has arrived," I said calmly, not turning around.
Adrian Bauer entered, his face a mask of confidence. He wore an expensive suit that couldn't quite hide the predatory way he moved.
"Liam Knight," he greeted with a slight bow. "What a pleasure to finally et in person."
I turned, studying him carefully. "I must say, I'm surprised. You look like soone I know as Aidan Ortega."
A flicker of annoyance crossed Adrian's features before his smile returned. "That was rely a cover. I've shed my ties to the Lane Family. Conrad here has graciously accepted as his disciple."
Conrad nodded chanically, like a puppet on strings.
"Is that so?" I raised an eyebrow. "How fortunate for both of you."
Adrian took the seat across from . Conrad poured wine for all three of us, his movents stiff.
"I should congratulate you," Adrian said, raising his glass. "Your recent acquisition of the Eldoria Network has made you quite the talk of business circles."
I returned the toast. "News travels fast."
"In certain circles, yes," Adrian smiled, revealing perfect teeth. "To new beginnings."
We drank. I pretended not to notice the way Adrian's eyes followed my every movent, calculating.
The al continued with superficial conversation. Conrad barely touched his food, while Adrian maintained a stream of pleasant chatter. I responded appropriately, acting oblivious to the tension crackling between them.
Halfway through the al, I bent down suddenly. "Excuse , my shoelace ca undone."
As I reached down, I heard a soft whistle above —the sound of sothing slicing through air where my head had been a mont before. When I straightened, Adrian was taking a casual sip of wine.
"These shoes," I laughed. "Always coming untied at the worst monts."
Conrad's face had gone sheet-white.
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Ten minutes later, I shifted in my chair, reaching for the salt. "This steak could use a bit more seasoning."
Another whistle, subtler this ti. A tiny dart embedded itself in the chair where my shoulder had been seconds before.
"Perfect," I said, sprinkling salt on my food. "Much better now."
Adrian's smile had tightened almost imperceptibly. Conrad was now visibly sweating, his collar darkened with moisture.
"Conrad," I said eventually, "I'm feeling rather thirsty. Would you mind pouring so more water?"
As Conrad rose shakily and approached with the pitcher, I turned my head to thank him. Behind , I heard the faintest rustle of movent, followed by the distinct sound of sothing sharp cutting through empty air.
I turned back to face Adrian, who was now staring at with narrowed eyes, his earlier pretense of friendliness evaporating.
"You know," I said conversationally, setting down my fork and knife, "I've heard that the third ti's the charm. But it seems that wasn't the case today."
The room went utterly still. Conrad froze mid-pour, water overflowing my glass and spilling onto the tablecloth.
I leaned forward, resting my elbows on the table and steepling my fingers. "I've given you three chances to kill , but you just didn't cherish them, did you?"
Adrian's face transford, shock giving way to cold calculation. "I don't know what you an."
"No?" I smiled without warmth. "The first attempt was when I bent to tie my shoelace. A poison needle, I believe, aid at my carotid artery. The second was when I reached for the salt—a dart tipped with sothing nasty, aid at my heart. And just now, was that a wind blade technique? Quite advanced."
Conrad's breathing had beco rapid and shallow. The water pitcher slipped from his hands, shattering on the floor.
"Impressive deductions," Adrian said, his voice dropping its friendly pretense. "Though entirely baseless."
"Is that so?" I reached into my pocket and pulled out three small items: a thin silver needle, a dart no larger than a sewing pin, and a small talisman paper with charred edges. "These would suggest otherwise."
Adrian's eyes widened slightly, the only indication of his surprise. "How did you—"
"Catch them?" I finished for him. "I didn't. I simply recovered them after each attempt. You're quick, Adrian, but not nearly as subtle as you believe."
Conrad sank back into his chair, head in his hands.
"This wasn't his idea," I said, gesturing toward Conrad. "You're holding sothing over him. His son, if I had to guess."
A muscle twitched in Adrian's jaw. "You understand nothing."
"I understand that you've committed several cardinal sins today," I replied, my voice hardening. "Attempting to assassinate was rely one of them. Forcing a respected elder like Conrad Thornton to betray his honor—that's a cri I take personally."
Adrian's hand moved toward his inner jacket pocket. I made no move to stop him.
"I wouldn't," I warned quietly. "The mont you entered this room, I activated three separate counter-arrays. One is blocking your connection to your spiritual energy. The second is slowly paralyzing your nervous system. And the third?" I smiled coldly. "The third is feeding your location to so very interesting people who are quite eager to et you."
Adrian froze, his face betraying montary panic as he tested his spiritual energy and found it dampened.
"You knew," he said flatly. "From the beginning."
"Before I even arrived," I confird. "Conrad's phone call wasn't exactly... convincing."
Conrad looked up, sha and desperation etched into every line of his face. "My son—"
"Is safe," I interrupted. "I had him recovered from your basent three hours ago, Adrian. He's currently receiving treatnt for your poison at the Celestial Apothecary Guild."
Adrian's composure finally cracked. "Impossible! No one knew—"
"I did," I said simply. "And now, we're going to have a very different kind of conversation. One where you tell everything about who sent you, and why they want dead."
Adrian's eyes darted to the exits, calculating his chances.
"Don't," I advised. "I've only revealed a fraction of what I'm capable of. And trust when I say—" I leaned forward, my voice dropping to an icy whisper, "—you wouldn't survive what cos next."
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