Damian’s POV

The muted hum of the conference filled the study, the voices of board members blended into and echoed in the study. He had been staring at charts and projections for over an hour, the numbers blurring on the screen, the air in the room heavy with the faint buzz of his laptop.

Gregory’s voice came through the speaker. “Damian, the merger proposal, what are your thoughts?”

He blinked, realizing he hadn’t heard a word of what his father had just said. “It looks ...