I’ve spent years proving them wrong, in fact. Mansions in every city worth mentioning, the finest suits stitched from fabrics softer than any lover’s touch, the taste of wine that’s older than most men alive. I have power, and more importantly, the freedom to use it however I please. People greet me with a smile and a handshake that’s just a little too tight, because they know my influence can make them,or break them, before the day ends.

And yet… here I am, sitting in this immaculate, too-bright waiting room like some supplicant, my legs crossed and my cane leaning against my chair. The cough in my chest has been growing sharper, more persistent, each week. My vision blurs some mornings. My body,the one thing I took for granted, has begun to rebel against me.

I suppose that’s why I’m here.

The secretary had been efficient, her tone polite but cautious, as if she already knew what kind of man I was.