Chapter 130
{Ronan’s POV}
By the time the paint buckets, brushes and rollers were taken out and the furniture was shifted, the room looked like it had always belonged to Heri. She sat on the bed, swinging her legs and hugging the quilt Lisa had chosen. I should have been relieved that we had finally settled her in, but when Lisa announced she was going to stay with Heri tonight, I caught myself staring at the doorway to our own room down the hall. We had yet to step into it, yet to claim it together, yet to make it ours. Instead, my wife smiled as though the decision was final, and I didn’t argue. I only nodded and kissed the side of her head, letting her walk away with the girl.
I found myself wandering to my study. The heavy door creaked open, and the familiar scent of oak and leather washed over me.
A wave of comfort I'd long forgotten hit, so sudden and deep that it nearly took me off balance. This was mine. My space. The shelves still carried the weight of years… and documents… the desk still had the faint scratches from late nights, and the chair sat waiting as if I had never left.
Sitting down, I swiveled once, the leather creaking as I leaned back. A small smile tugged at my lips. “That's the stuffff.”
I hadn’t realized how much I missed being here.
The decanter on the sideboard caught the light. I poured myself a measure of brandy and let the burn steady me as I pulled my monitor forward. A mountain of emails waited as I scrolled through, skimming reports, messages, updates and the like one by one.
“That's peculiar…” The numbers caught my eye.
The company’s performance had dipped. A small stumble, comparatively… but a significant drop seeing as it was right there on the chart, Lucien’s company now sat comfortably above mine. I was always on top, either that or we were tied one way or the other.
The glass in my hand felt heavier.
For a moment, I considered calling Damon, to ask if anything significant had happened in the weeks I had been away. But then I remembered… I had already sent him on another task. He didn’t need me adding to his load. Not yeat at least.
Instead, I clicked open a new window and called my business analyst. The request was simple. “Send me a detailed report. Where the drop happened, why, and shift attached to the change.”
When I ended the call, another notification popped up. An email reminder.
“The Global Finance Leadership Summit. Tonight…” I sighed. My virtual assistant had already confirmed attendance on my behalf.
I leaned back, swirling the brandy. Every major business tycoon would be there, including Lucien. My presence or absence would not go unnoticed. And that was the problem.
The door opened, and Lisa stepped in. She wore the faintest trace of paint on her cheek still, as though the earlier chaos had refused to leave her. Her eyes scanned my face instantly. “What’s wrong?”
“Oh, nothing.”
“Ronan.”
I sighed, gesturing toward the screen as she turned around. “The company dipped. Lucien’s ahead now… at least on paper. And tonight, I’m expected at the Summit. Sure I was away for a bit, but it's more than a little weird I wasn’t informed of all this.”
Her brows lifted. “That’s the one where all the finance giants gather, right?”
“Correct.”
She moved closer, still leaning over my shoulder as she glanced at the screen. “Are you thinking of skipping?”
I met her eyes. “It crossed my mind, yes.”
“Don’t.” Her tone was firm. “Your absence will make more noise than your presence. Especially now that you’re back. They need to see that.”
The corner of my mouth curved, not quite a smile, not quite agreement. “You always know how to make it sound so simple. Maybe you should be my assistant.”
She smiled the weakly clapped my shoulder.
“It is simple,” she said. “You show up. You remind them who you are… and use that classic Ronan charm to get back your supporters.
I caught her hand, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. “I hate that you won’t be there.”
“Heri needs someone here,” she reminded me. “Go. I’ll handle things here.”
I let her go reluctantly, watching her leave to prepare lunch. The room fell quiet again, the kind of silence that pressed close. Then my phone buzzed.
“Damon.” I answered immediately.
His voice came through steady. “I checked the records. You’ll want to see this.”
“What did you find?”
“I’m sending a file now.”
The attachment appeared seconds later. I opened it, scanning quickly. My breath stilled. It was confirmation… proof that Veyra and Mallon had been present at King Charles’s gathering. Proof that had been scrubbed from every other record.
“You’re certain?” I asked.
“As certain as I can be,” Damon said. “I’ve got men watching both of them. Every move, every meeting. Their locations are solid.”
Lisa’s voice cut in from the doorway. I hadn’t noticed she’d returned. “Wait. Why are you saying both? I thought Heri named Veyra and Kal. That sounds like three people, not two.”
I looked up at her. “Oh. That.”
“That?” she repeated, eyes narrowing.
“It’s still two,” I explained. “Mallon Kal is one person. Some call him Mallon, others Kal. But it’s the same Elder.”
She blinked, then exhaled. “That’s needlessly confusing.”
I shrugged. “He enjoys being needlessly confusing.”
Her lips pressed tight, but she let it go, turning back toward the hall.
I returned to the call. “The Summit tonight, it’s more than business. It’s also Council work as we know. Nothing too prominent, but the Elders will be there. One of their scrutinies for contenders of the ascension.”
“Both Elders will be there,” Damon said.
“Yes. Which means when they leave their homes, you’ll search Mallon’s residence. Pull up whatever they kept as a a sick trophy, whatever they tried to hide even. I’ll handle the Summit. You handle the evidence.”
Damon was silent for a moment, then said, “Understood.”
The line clicked off. I leaned back, staring at the brandy in my glass. The Summit, the Elders, Lucien, the Council. The pieces were moving faster now even though I just go back.
“Well, back to work.”
That said, I intended to stay three steps ahead.