Page 167 of The Hunter's Empire

The conversation continues yet every few minutes, his eyes return to the watch on his wrist. Each glance is fleeting, but by the fourth or fifth time, it no longer feels accidental.

"Is something wrong?" I ask.

He looks up immediately. "No. Why would you think that?"

"You keep checking the time."

A faint smile touches his lips. "I'm just keeping track of the morning."

The explanation does little to reassure me.

Several more minutes pass in exactly the same way. He continues discussing business as though we're in the middle of an ordinary meeting, pausing only to steal another glance at his watch. The longer it goes on, the more convinced I become that this isn't why he asked me to come.

Eventually, I set my pen down and lean forward.

"Sebastian."

He looks up.

"Why am I really here?"

A flicker of surprise crosses his face before disappearing just as quickly.

"You asked me to come because you wanted to talk. Instead, you've spent the last twenty minutes discussing business while checking your watch every few minutes."

His eyes instinctively drop to his wrist again before returning to mine.

I notice.

"So I'll ask again." I slowly push my chair back. "What are you waiting for?"

For the first time since I arrived, his composure slips.

"Just..." He glances at his watch one last time before meeting my eyes again. "...give it five more minutes."

I stare at him, waiting for an explanation. None comes.

Instead, he leans back in his chair, folds his hands together, and says with almost unsettling calm, "The weather's been unusually warm for this time of year. I was reading this morning that temperatures are expected to stay above average all week."

I blink. For a moment, I'm convinced I've misheard him.

The weather?

A knot tightens in my stomach. Nothing about this conversation feels normal anymore. He'd insisted I come here immediately, only to spend half an hour discussing business, repeatedlychecking his watch, and now talking about the weather as though we were making idle conversation over coffee.

Every instinct tells me something is wrong.

My fingers tighten around the armrest as I weigh my options. Nico's warning echoes in the back of my mind.The second he tries anything, you kick his ass.

Maybe I should.

I remain seated in my chair, waiting for Sebastian to explain something. Anything. But the only sounds inside the office are the faint hum of the air conditioning and the distant noise of employees working beyond the glass walls.

I glance toward the door, then back at Sebastian. He isn't delaying this conversation because he doesn't know what to say. He's waiting for something.

"Sebastian." I say again, my voice quieter this time. "Whatever this is... stop playing games."

He slowly lifts his eyes from his watch and meets mine.