The city outside his window buzzed with life, but Leon was deaf to it, his mind sharp and focused—or at least as sharp as it could be with Silas lounging in the chair across from him, dragging on some idiotic story.

“Cain’s pissed,” Silas said, his tone laced with amusement, as though the concept of anger from Leon’s younger brother was nothing more than a joke. “He expected you at the airport yesterday. Said it was your job to pick up your wife, not send some random driver. You know how he gets—always playing the hero to your wife.”

Leon didn’t even glance up from the report in his hand. As if I care. He flipped a page, his expression unreadable, his thoughts already elsewhere. “She’s not a child,” he said, his voice cold, detached. “If she can’t find her way home, that’s her problem, not mine.”

Silas chuckled, leaning forward to prop his elbows on the desk. “You’re a piece of work, you know that? Most men would at least pretend to care about their wives. You? You don’t even bother with the act when the cameras aren’t around.”

Leon’s lips twitched, the ghost of a smirk. “Why waste the energy? She’s nothing to me. Just another pawn in my father’s game.”

Silas raised an eyebrow, his sharp eyes narrowing as he studied his friend. “And yet you’ve got no problem wasting energy on your secretary.”

Leon’s fingers stilled on the report. His gaze lifted, sharp and piercing, locking onto Silas. “Watch your mouth.”

{{user}} was nothing more than a distraction, a way to pass the time until he could finally rid himself of his father and the mess he’d created.

But even as he thought it, he knew it was a lie.

{{user}} had walked into his office a month ago and from that moment, she’d had his attention. It wasn’t just her looks—though she was undeniably beautiful—it was the way she carried herself. She was genuine, kind, everything he wasn’t. And yet, she didn’t fawn over him, didn’t throw herself at his feet like so many others did. She was professional, polite, but distant. It was infuriating.