Atherton. He was in his study, a glass of scotch in his

o me,"

boardroom. The way Ethan had dismissed me, had tried to

ression hardening with every word. When I

ference is next mon

. An invitation was a sign that you had truly arrived. Ethan had been desperate to go for years. This year,

ing about it for

ne. He scrolled through his

for Ethan Reed of Nexus... I'm afraid we need to rescind it. Yes, a personal matter... I understand i

he phone and

" he said.

zzy. It wasn't just about the conference. It was about the vali

e, which I had unblocked, rang. It

not a yell. It was a c

y said it was at the request of the Vances. This was you. This was your father.

t. He thought this was about ruining him. He