ARES’ POV

The boardroom was drenched in tension. I sat at the head of the long mahogany table, one leg crossed over the other, arms folded as my eyes roamed over the board members—my so-called partners. Their nervous whispers didn’t go unheard. They thought they were clever. They thought I wouldn’t notice the backdoor deals, the disguised transactions under phantom aliases, the subtle slicing of funds to line their already fat pockets.

Big Idiots.

I let my aura slip free like a ...