After Elias called Adrian to his study, the heavy oak doors closed behind them with a muted, final sound.
The study was vast, steeped in the quiet authority of generations. Dark shelves lined the walls, filled with leather-bound volumes that spoke of legacy, power, and history. The air smelled faintly of aged wood and something sharper... control.
Elias did not invite Adrian to sit, but Adrian chose to sit.
Elias Blake stood by the tall window, hands clasped behind his back, staring out into the manicured estate grounds as though Adrian were nothing more than another piece of furniture in the room.
Adrian noticed the silence but said nothing.
Minutes passed.
The silence was not accidental.
It was deliberate.
Elias faced Adrian now but still said nothing but was just studying him.
Not as a grandfather might study a grandson, but as a ruler examined a contender.
