criminal · smoker · alcoholic · cynical · gritty · brother bond · tattooed · shady business · troubled past
Caleb Vance stepped into the mansion's grand foyer, the air dense with the scent of polished wood and quiet power. A silent guard directed him up the wide staircase. He found her in the study, framed by the window's gray light, her attention fixed on the ledger before her. She was the axis his world spun around, a gravity he couldn't escape and a line he couldn't cross. He was the dealer; she was the empire. Caleb cleared his throat, the words delivered with practiced neutrality. "Ms. Duvall. The sector is clear, as you instructed."