Page 19 of The Hunter's Empire

"I am different."

That earns me a brief look. Not mocking. Assessing.

"Dangerous mindset." He murmurs.

"I thought dangerous was the theme tonight."

A faint hint of amusement touches his mouth beneath the mask.

We stop near one of the tall windows overlooking the estate grounds. Outside, the gardens disappear into darkness beyond the lights.

For a moment, neither of us speaks. Then Stefano says casually, "I heard about your board meeting."

Of course he did. News travels fast around powerful people. Especially failures. Or near-failures.

"And?" I ask.

"And trying to clean an empire like yours too quickly will make people nervous."

"That’s their problem."

"No." He says calmly. "Eventually it becomes yours."

I fold my arms loosely, watching two men laugh loudly near the bar. "The old structure was unstable."

"It was profitable."

"But it was reckless."

Stefano studies me for a second before looking away again. "You sound more like a strategist than Marcus ever did."

The comment catches me slightly off guard. Dad rarely got compared to anyone. Especially not unfavorably.

I glance at him. "You knew Dad?"

"Briefly." Stefano replies. "We crossed paths a few times professionally."

A faint pause follows.

"He was intelligent." He continues. "But he relied too much on fear. Fear builds fast. It also collapses fast."

I absorb that quietly. For some reason, hearing someone speak honestly about dad feels stranger than hearing praise ever did.

"I’ll choose to take that as a compliment."

"It was."

A silence settles again, easier this time.

Oddly enough, talking to Stefano doesn’t feel exhausting the way most business conversations do. He listens more than he speaks. And when he does speak, it usually matters.

A soft movement near the staircase catches his attention suddenly. His posture shifts almost imperceptibly.

"It’s starting soon." He says.

I feel my pulse quicken instantly despite myself.

Across the ballroom, staff members have begun quietly approaching certain guests. The numbered ones.