The biding conference was over. Rowan Group had won.

Damien Hadley swept out of the room without a word.

The representatives from the other companies were far more gracious, crowding forward to offer congratulations. Rowan Group was the biggest client in all of Kingsward, and Julian Hale showing up in person had been nothing short of a demolition — the kind of move these people would be talking about for years.

Back at Rowan Group, the champagne was ...