All of them are wondering the same thing: Who am I really?
"Then it's settled," Caldwell announced.
The minister's quill scratched across parchment, each stroke sealing Arthur's position in Caldera's hierarchy.
Arthur rose smoothly. "Thank you for this opportunity. I look forward to productive cooperation."
I've won this round. But the game continues.
Seraphina uncrossed her legs.
"Perhaps we should discuss collaboration?" Her blood-red lips curved into a smile that could melt steel or forge it. "I would love to set a meeting with you to talk about how our guilds can cooperate."
Partnership or poison?
"Lady Gilderhaven raises an excellent point," Thornwyck agreed, stroking his silver beard. "New alliances often prove... mutually beneficial."
Arthur studied the assassin queen's face. Behind those dark eyes lurked centuries of accumulated secrets, debts, and leverage. The Gilderhaven family didn't make offers—they made investments.
She wants something. The question is what.
