Meanwhile, inside the conference room of Globe International, Xander studied the man seated across from him through narrowed eyes.

After a moment, his gaze shifted to Taylor.

Taylor immediately understood the cue.

Clearing his throat, he offered a professional smile.

"My apologies for asking, Mr. Karl, but wasn’t this meeting supposed to be with Mr. Logan Mortini himself? How come only you showed up?"

Karl adjusted his glasses before meeting Taylor’s gaze.

"I apologize for the inconvenience. An urgent matter came up, and my boss had to return home unexpectedly. He asked me to attend the meeting on his behalf."

Taylor’s smile stiffened.

Why does he sound exactly like my brother?

The man’s expressionless face reminded him far too much of Hunter.

Both of them looked permanently allergic to emotions.

"Oh, I see." Taylor chuckled politely. "May I ask what kind of emergency caused Mr. Mortini to leave so suddenly?"

"That information is confidential."

Taylor’s lips twitched.

Again....This man is seriously testing my patience.

Over the years, he had dealt with demanding clients, arrogant CEOs, and impossible investors.

Yet somehow Karl managed to irritate him the most while remaining perfectly polite.

Boss, why exactly are we chasing these people again?

If Xander wasn’t determined to uncover the truth behind his parents’ deaths, Taylor would’ve happily abandoned this entire ordeal.

The Mortini family practically ruled Country H from the shadows. And Logan Mortini was currently their best lead.

"Then I’ll have to refuse signing today." Suddenly, Xander spoke, causing Taylor to almost choke.

His eyes shot toward his boss. Boss! What are you doing?

Across the table, Karl didn’t appear surprised. In fact, he smiled slightly. "I expected that response."

Taylor frowned, watching Karl calmly fold his hands on the table.

"To be honest, my boss anticipated this outcome as well. He specifically instructed me not to pressure you."

Xander remained silent.

"Mr. Mortini simply wanted to give your company an opportunity since you were so persistent about this partnership."

The implication was clear. Logan wasn’t pursuing Globe International.

Globe International was pursuing Logan.

Taylor immediately sensed the subtle challenge hidden in Karl’s words.

Is he mocking us or what

Xander merely smirked. "So this was a favor."

"You could say that."

"Then let’s postpone the meeting."

Karl raised an eyebrow.

"When Mr. Logan Mortini decides to show up himself."

For the first time, genuine amusement flickered across Karl’s face.

Meanwhile, Taylor felt like crying. Boss, just sign the deal!

Dozens of phone calls, endless negotiations, and months of scheduling had gone into arranging this meeting. Getting Logan Mortini to agree had been nearly impossible, and now Xander was throwing it away.

Karl studied him for several seconds before nodding.

"As you wish, Mr. Emerson." He stood up smoothly. "However, I can’t guarantee my boss will agree to another meeting so easily."

A faint smile appeared on his lips. "This was the easier path."

Xander rose from his seat as well.

"I’ve never been interested in easy paths." His eyes sharpened. "When it comes to business, I prefer earning what I get."

Karl’s smile widened slightly.

"I’ll be sure to pass that message along."

The two men shook hands.

"Until next time, Mr. Emerson."

"Until next time."

Karl turned and left the conference room.

The moment the door closed behind him, Taylor let out a dramatic groan.

"Oh, come on, Boss!"

Xander didn’t even bother looking at him.

"What now?"

"What now?" Taylor repeated. "You just rejected a deal with the Mortinis! Do you have any idea how hard it was to arrange this meeting?"

Xander calmly buttoned his suit jacket.

"What good is a partnership if the person I’m trying to meet doesn’t even bother showing up?"

Taylor opened his mouth and closed it only to open it again. Unfortunately, he couldn’t argue with that.

Xander started walking toward the exit.

"I want you to verify everything Karl said."

Taylor immediately straightened. The playful assistant disappeared, replaced by the efficient professional.

"Understood."

"And find out more about Logan Mortini’s wife’s condition."

Taylor nodded. "I’ll have a report by tonight."

Just as he reached for his phone, he froze.

Taylor’s eyes widened. Then came a loud gasp.

GASP!!!

Xander stopped walking and turned around only for his expression to darken immediately.

There was only one person in the entire company capable of producing five different dramatic reactions within three seconds.

And unfortunately, that person worked for him.

"What is it now?"

Taylor stared at his screen in disbelief. Then he looked at Xander. Then back at the screen.

"Boss..." His voice sounded strange.

Xander’s patience was rapidly disappearing. "Taylor," he warned.

"You need to see this."

Without another word, Taylor hurried over and shoved the phone into Xander’s hand.

Xander glanced at the screen.

At first, his expression remained unchanged. Then he read the headline.

The statement. And finally the name attached to it.

Kevin.

The temperature around him seemed to drop several degrees.

His jaw tightened, and his eyes turned dangerously cold.

Taylor immediately took a cautious step backward. Because he knew that look.

And whenever Xander Emerson wore that expression—someone was about to have a very bad day. However, he didn’t know it was him.

***

Meanwhile, Karl got into his car and closed the door behind him.

The first thing he did was pull out his phone and call his boss.

The call barely rang once before it was answered.

"How did it go?" Logan asked.

"He refused to sign the deal."

There was a brief pause on the other end.

Then Logan hummed thoughtfully, as if the answer didn’t surprise him.

Karl continued.

"Mr. Emerson said he wants to negotiate directly with you. He believes business should be conducted face-to-face."

Another pause.

"He also said he wants to earn the deal."

This time, silence stretched for several seconds.

Karl waited patiently.

Finally, Logan spoke.

"Then he’ll have to wait."

His tone was calm, but there was something unreadable beneath it.

"Understood."

Karl adjusted his glasses.

"Is there anything else you’d like me to do, Boss?"

He could sense Logan was thinking about something else entirely.

For a moment, the only sound on the line was the faint rustling of papers.

Then Logan spoke again.

"Find the girl."

Karl straightened slightly.

"The girl?"

"I want a complete update on her life."

Logan briefly provided the details.

Karl listened carefully, committing every piece of information to memory.

When he finished, Karl nodded despite knowing his boss couldn’t see him.

"I’ll start immediately."

"Good."

The call ended.

Karl stared at the dark screen for a moment before placing the phone back in his pocket.

A complete life investigation wasn’t a request Logan made lightly.

Which meant the girl was important.

Very important.

Miles away, Logan lowered his phone and leaned back in his chair.

His gaze drifted toward the large window overlooking the city skyline.

Xander Emerson.

A man determined enough to reject an opportunity most companies would have accepted without hesitation.

A man willing to risk losing the Mortinis’ support simply because he wanted to meet the decision-maker himself.

The corner of Logan’s lips lifted slightly.

Most people bowed their heads when dealing with the Mortini family.

Xander had done the opposite.

But whether that was courage or arrogance remained to be seen.

Logan rose from his seat.

"Let’s see what kind of man you really are, Xander Emerson."

His expression hardened.

"Whether you’re trustworthy..."

His eyes darkened.

"...or just like the rest of them."

With that, he left his office and headed down the hallway.

His footsteps slowed as he approached a familiar room.

The cold calculation in his eyes softened ever so slightly.

Reaching for the handle, he opened the door and stepped inside.

The room belonged to his wife.

And at that moment, nothing—not business, not investigations, not even Xander Emerson—mattered more to him than her.

***

[Back at the agency]

"Damn, he really warned his so-called fans this time." Lola scrolled through the comments on her phone. Most of them were surprisingly positive.

"They actually took him seriously," she said with a chuckle.

However, Ivy’s calm reaction made her raise an eyebrow. The woman didn’t seem affected at all by Kevin’s statement.

Then Lola remembered how firm Ivy had been when she announced that she would never work with him again. She believed Ivy and Kevin were friends; however, seeing her hostile towards him made her wonder if they were on good terms or not.

"Ivy, were you serious when you warned Kevin before?" she asked curiously. "I mean, if you were, why? Don’t you want to be successful? or...was it because Mr. Emerson"

The moment the words left her mouth, Lola paused and grimaced. She crossed the line and quickly corrected it.

"Okay, that came out wrong; I shouldn’t have asked that," but the response she got left her speechless.

"You might be right."

Sal, who walked in holding the coffee tray, almost stumbled, but Ivy’s reaction made him wonder if she had lost her mind.

’Raven what in the world is wrong with you’