Juan Diaz couldn''t seem to contain himself. Every few minutes, he''d shoot me a smug nce, then loudly talk about another "important connection" of his. I simply sipped my drink and waited.


    "You know," Juan announced to the table, loud enough for nearby diners to hear, "I''m expecting some major yers to stop by tonight. Conrad Thornton himself might make an appearance."


    Eamon''s eyes widened. "Conrad Thornton from Shince City? The real estate magnate?"


    "The very same," Juan boasted, adjusting his gold cufflinks. "Conrad and I go way back. We''re practically brothers."


    I caught Eamon''s questioning look and gave him a slight nod. His eyebrows shot up even further.


    "How exactly do you know Conrad Thornton?" I asked mildly.


    Juan''s smile tightened. "That''s not really your business, is it, Knight? Let''s just say Conrad values my insight on the Havenwood market. He consults me before making any moves here."


    One of his associates chimed in, "Juan''s being modest. Conrad Thornton calls him personally at least twice a month."


    "Is that right?" I nodded thoughtfully, hiding my amusement behind my ss.


    Amotion near the entrance drew our attention. Several well-dressed businessmen entered the restaurant, scanning the room. Juan practically bounced in his seat.


    "Ah, there they are! My first guests of the evening," he announced triumphantly. "You see, Knight, this is the difference between us. People of substance actually seek me out."


    The businessmen approached our table, and Juan stood with a flourish. "Gentlemen! Wee, wee!"


    The tallest of them, a balding man with an expensive watch, extended his hand. "Mr. Diaz, thank you for the invitation. Happy New Year."


    "Richard! So d you could make it," Juan replied, pping the man''s shoulder like they were old friends. "These are new faces. Have you expanded your team?"


    "Yes, we''ve added several key positions since ourst meeting," Richard replied.


    "Excellent, excellent," Juan nodded, then gestured dramatically toward me. "Richard, let me introduce you to... what was your name again? Knight? He sells pharmaceuticals or something."


    The dismissive introduction was clearly meant to diminish me. I simply smiled and offered my hand. "Liam Knight. Pleasure to meet you."


    Richard gave me a cursory handshake before turning back to Juan, who immediatelyunched into an borate story about a recent acquisition. More businesspeople arrived over the next half hour, alling to pay their respects to Juan. With each new arrival, his posture became more pronounced, his voice louder.


    "Knight," he called to me during a lull, "notice how no one hase to see you? Perhaps your pharmaceutical sales aren''t as impressive as you thought."


    I checked my watch. "My guests areing from Shince City. The drive takes time."


    Juan snorted. "Your guests? From Shince?" He turned to his entourage. "Did you hear that? Knight here thinks people are driving all the way from Shince to see him!"


    His associates chuckled on cue.


    "We''ll see," I said simply.


    Juan was in the middle of another self-congrattory story when a tall, serious-looking man in a custom-tailored suit entered the restaurant. I recognized him immediately.


    "Roman," I called, standing to greet him.


    Roman Volkov made his way to our table, his presence causing a stir among nearby diners. He was well-known in business circles for his ruthless efficiency and vast connections.


    "Liam," he said warmly, ignoring everyone else at the table. "Sorry I''mte. Traffic from Shince was worse than expected."


    Juan''s brow furrowed. "You know this guy?" he asked me incredulously.


    I nodded. "Roman Volkov, meet Juan Diaz."


    Roman gave Juan a cursory nce before turning back to me. "The others are parking. They should be here momentarily."


    "Others?" Juan repeated, his voice pitched slightly higher.


    "Thank you foring all this way," I told Roman sincerely.


    Juan recovered quickly. "Volkov? That''s the guy who handles minor ounts for the big yers, right?" Heughed nervously. "Hardly what I''d call an impressive connection."


    Roman''s eyebrow twitched, but he chose to ignore thement. Instead, he took a seat beside me and began discussing our uing projects.


    Ten minutester, three more men entered the restaurant. The ma?tre d'' rushed to greet them, bowing slightly.


    "Mr. Mercer, wee. Right this way, sir."


    Bert Mercer, head of Mercer Holdings, scanned the room until he spotted me. A broad smile spread across his face as he approached our table.


    "Liam Knight! There you are!"


    I stood to shake his hand. "Mr. Mercer. I appreciate you making the trip."


    "Nonsense! After what you did for my daughter, I''d drive twice as far." He nced at Juan and the others. "Are these your associates?"


    "Just sharing a table," I exined. "This is Juan Diaz."


    Juan had gone pale. He stood up so quickly he nearly knocked over his chair. "Mr. Mercer! What an honor! I''ve been hoping to arrange a meeting with you for months!"


    Bert Mercer gave him a confused look. "Have we met?"


    Before Juan could recover, Phillip Perez and Ruben Shaw—two more business leaders from Shince City—arrived at our table.


    "Knight!" Phillip called out. "Sorry we''rete. We brought the contracts you requested."


    Juan''s face was a study in disbelief. His gaze darted between the neers and me, trying to make sense of what was happening.


    "You... you know these people?" he stammered.


    I nodded calmly. "We''ve done business together."


    Juan''s associates were whispering among themselves, their earlier confidence evaporating. One of them leaned toward Juan. "That''s half the Shince Chamber of Commerce standing there!"


    "They must be actors," Juan whispered back, a little too loudly. "He hired actors to impress us."


    Bert Mercer overheard and frowned. "I assure you, young man, I am very much real. And I don''t appreciate the implication."


    Juan''s face reddened. "Of course, sir. I didn''t mean—"


    He was interrupted by yet another arrival—a smartly dressed woman who made a beeline for our table.


    "Mr. Knight," she said formally. "Ms. Qiue Ohli sends her regrets that she couldn''te personally. She asked me to deliver this contract for your review."


    I epted the folder with a nod. "Please thank Ms. Ohli for me."


    Juan was practically squirming in his chair now. But his real moment of reckoning was still toe.


    Just as the conversation resumed, the restaurant doors opened again. A hush fell over the entire establishment as Conrad Thornton himself walked in. Unlike the others, he didn''t need to search for me—he knew exactly where I was sitting.


    "Liam!" Conrad called out, striding confidently toward our table. "Happy New Year, my friend!"


    The reference version of this chapter is on *.


    I stood to greet him. "Conrad. Good to see you."


    Juan Diaz looked like he might faint. His mouth opened and closed several times before he managed to speak.


    "C-Conrad Thornton?" he choked out.


    Conrad nced at him briefly. "Yes?"


    "You''re really Conrad Thornton? From Shince City?" Juan''s voice had risen to almost a squeak.


    Conrad frowned slightly. "Last time I checked."


    He turned back to me. "Liam, we need to discuss the River Heights project. I''ve been thinking about your proposal, and I believe you''re right. We should move forward immediately."


    I nodded, then nced at Juan. His face had drained of all color. His earlier bravado had vanishedpletely, reced by shocked disbelief.


    Now was the perfect moment. I turned to Juan with a half-smile.


    "Didn''t you say you wanted to cooperate with Conrad Thornton? He''s right here and you don''t even recognize him?"


    The table fell silent. All eyes turned to Juan, whose face was now cycling through various shades of red.


    "I... I didn''t..." he stammered, looking frantically between Conrad and me.


    Conrad''s eyebrows rose. "You know this man, Liam?"


    "Not really," I replied. "But apparently, you and he are close friends. ''Practically brothers,'' I believe he said."