Grady''s associate, standing nearby, shot Summer a bemused nce when she made her audacious im. Taking down the Davis family? Now that was a knee- pper if he''d ever heard one.


    Grady casually drummed his fingers on his knee, a hint of amusement ying on his lips as he asked his associate, "Alex, how long has it been since someonest had the nerve to threaten me?"


    "It''s been ages, honestly. Can''t quite recall," Alex said, clearing his throat. "But I do remember thest one who tried-they''re just a memory now."


    Grady raised an eyebrow, giving Alex a rare nod of approval. "Not bad, you''ve sharpened your tongue."


    Alex grinned sheepishly, "All thanks to you, Grady. Polite words for politepany, right?"


    Talk of violence was just so... uncouth.


    Summer, oblivious to their banter, cut in with a chilled tone, "There''s still a chance to smooth things over. I can act like none of this ever happened and keep my mentor out of it. But if I involve him, it''ll be toote for you."


    "Oh, is that so?" Grady remained lounging on the sofa, nodding towards the phone on the coffee table. "Why don''t you give her mentor a ring?"


    Alex nodded, scooping up the phone in no time. He powered it on, scrolled to thest number dialed, and hit redial.


    Summer recognized the phone in Alex''s hand as her own. Watching him, an unsettling feeling crept over her.


    The call picked up.


    Alex switched to speaker mode.


    "Hello?" Joen''s voice cut through first.


    "So, I hear your student thinks you can bring down the Davis family?" Grady spoke evenly, but each word carried a subtle menace.


    Joen, a well-respected researcher with clout in hisb, wasn''t


    fazen


    But the voice on the


    end


    held an authority that shoe


    fan authority that shomet


    It was the primal fear of a lesser being before a greater one.


    "The Davis family?" Joen clutched his phone tighter, quickly piecing things together, his voice instinctively respectful. "You mean the one connected to the Merrywoods Syndicate?"


    "If there''s another family by that name, I''d love to hear about it," Grady replied coolly.


    Joen''s expression shifted as his mind raced. Summer''s phone, but a call from the Davis family... the implications were ringly obvious.


    He''d heard it from higher-ups: steer clear of the Davis family. Their reach was unknown, and crossing them could spell disaster.


    Damn it, how did Summer get herself mixed up with the Davis family?


    Joen took a deep breath and promptly apologized, "I''m truly sorry if our university''s student offended you. Please ept our apologies."


    He deftly changed "your student" to "our university''s student," signaling he was washing his hands of the matter.


    Research could take its time, but there were some people you just didn''t cross.


    After considering his options, Joen decided to cut ties with Summer. She was just


    a data point in his research, after all.


    The data he needed was already in hand.


    Grady, unfazed by Joen''s response, turned back to Summer, asking with a leisurely tone, "Got any other mentors? I''ve got time, and loan call them all for you."