Vince clenched his fists beneath the table.
If he'd known back then—if he'd known Ren was his bastard nephew—he would have accepted Ren's offer the first time. No hesitation. No ego. No pointless power games.
But he hadn't known.
And now?
Now everything was tangled beyond repair.
For one reckless second, a thought crossed Vince's mind—cold, efficient, familiar.
Kill him.
End it cleanly. Remove the problem before it became permanent.
The Abyss had swallowed men for far less.
But the thought died just as quickly.
Augustus.
His grandfather would never forgive him.
Not only that—Augustus was already hell-bent on making Ren his successor. Killing Ren wouldn't just be murder; it would be treason against the family itself.
And worse—
Vince exhaled slowly.
Their family needed Ren.
