A soft knock echoed at the door.

"Come in."

Sebastian was leaning against the sideboard, his back to the door.

It swung open, and Gerald stepped in.

"Mr. Lancaster," the man said, voice smooth, "good to see you."

Sebastian nodded and gestured to the two chairs facing the floor-to-ceiling windows. "Let's sit."

They took their seats.

Gerald was a handsome man in his late thirties in a sharp, clean-cut way that belonged on magazine covers or political campaigns. His dark hair was neatly styled, ...