whir of the cooling fans from the server rack. Julian's smile

ad never heard before. It wasn't the voice of a businessman or even a rival, but the

pressed barrel of the pistol never leaving Aria's temple. "I'm finishing the merger. The real one. The one wh

ously clear. The Architect. Julian was too young, too rash

te her shaking. "The man who killed my mother. You're selli

e winning side, Aria. My father was weak. He spent his lif

his weight to the left, j

und was deafening in the small room. "One more inch,

intently on Julian. He glanced at Aria for a

Julian. He threw it hard towards the floor-t

ver. His eyes followed th

econd, Luca m

mahogany. Julian fired. The bullet hit the crystal decanter on the shelf in the background. It

Luca

t was going to happen. She ran toward the server. She didn't grab the drive. She grabbed the brass paperweight from the desk and

Julian was younger and quicker. He brought his forehead into

d pouring down his face, fighting to keep a trait

the gun that had s

er fired a gun in her life, but as she stood, poi

" she

clamped around Julian's throat. Julian's hand wa

n," Luca growled, his c

cked on Julian. "He knows where

the hallway. Sec

g her hair into a frenzy. She glanced at Luca, the man she was

he actual information is already uploaded to a cloud server. Kill

wet, bloody sound.

e," Ar

r slamm