Page 171 of The Hunter's Empire

The office falls silent once more as Tobias studies me without blinking. Whatever passes through his mind remains impossibleto read, but I can feel the atmosphere shifting again, the tension becoming heavier with every passing second.

For several long moments, Tobias simply studies me. Then, to my surprise, he laughs.

It isn't loud or theatrical. It's quiet, almost amused, as though I've just said something genuinely entertaining. As he begins walking toward me, he calmly pulls the pistol from his pocket and lets it hang loosely at his side, his posture so relaxed that anyone walking into the room would never guess he had murdered his own father a few minutes ago.

"Marcus always did have terrible judgment." He says, shaking his head with a faint smile. "Choosing you as his successor may have been his worst decision."

His eyes drift around my office before returning to me.

"This empire was never meant to be inherited." He says quietly. "It was meant to be taken."

"My dad disagreed."

A faint smile touches his lips. "Your dad grew weak."

"He grew wiser." I hold his gaze. "He spent his life surrounded by people who wanted what he had. If he left you or Mikkel out of his will, maybe he saw exactly who you really were."

The smile disappears.

"You still don't understand." Tobias takes an unhurried step toward me. "Marcus and Mikkel believed power came from boardrooms, signatures, and titles. They spent decades fighting over pieces of paper while convincing themselves they were in control."

He glances briefly at Mikkel's body before looking back at me.

"They forgot the only rule that has ever mattered. The person willing to do the unthinkable always wins."

I look at the body lying between us. "So that's how you justify murdering your own father?"

His expression doesn't change. "I don't justify it. I simply don't regret it."

Before I can answer, Sebastian finally finds his voice. "Tobias."

He takes a cautious step forward. "We've made the point. Just get her to sign the transfer documents, and we're done."

Tobias doesn't even look at him. His attention never leaves me. For several seconds, he simply stands there with his back partially turned toward Sebastian.

The silence becomes uncomfortable.

"Did you hear me?" Sebastian asks. "I said we…"

The gunshot interrupts him. The crack echoes violently through the office. Sebastian cries out as the bullet tears through his upper arm.

He stumbles into my desk, knocking several folders onto the floor before collapsing to one knee, clutching the wound as blood immediately begins soaking through his sleeve.

"What the hell?" Sebastian gasps. He stares at Tobias in disbelief. "That wasn't part of the plan."

The words hit me harder than the gunshot.

For a moment, I can't breathe. My gaze shifts between the two men as the truth settles into place. Sebastian hadn't just lured me here. He'd been working with Tobias all along.

Tobias finally turns to face him, his expression unchanged.

"You had one job." He says evenly. "Stay close to Zora. Marry her. Secure control of the company from the inside."

His eyes harden. "And you failed even that."

"I was trying to…"

"I don't care." The interruption is quiet, but absolute. "You're no longer useful. So be quiet... and stay out of this."