His hand tightened around the glass cup, and his brow furrowed slightly as he stared at the caller ID on the phone.
The dim lighting of the private lounge reflected against the surface of the whiskey in his glass. Soft music played somewhere in the background, but Max barely heard it. His attention remained fixed on the flashing screen.
After a few seconds, he stretched out his hand and picked up the device from the table. With a swipe across the screen, he accepted the call and placed the phone against his ear.
"What is the problem?" he asked with no visible emotion in his voice.
Nicholas' voice filtered through the speaker with a slight tremble.
"Sir... your brother left."
Max blinked. For a moment, he wondered if he had misheard him.
"Left?" he repeated, his tone carrying a trace of curiosity. "What do you mean he left?"
"Sir, I just returned from outside when I noticed something odd about the mansion. The guards at the gate seemed to have decreased in number."
