The shift was instant. One second, the Fish Tank was all glass, silence, and controlled breathing, cold, precise, untouchable.
The next. Ping. Every tablet lit up at once. A ripple. Then a crack. Then chaos.
The room didn't erupt loudly, no, it was worse than that. It unraveled in sharp whispers, stiffened shoulders, glances that moved too quickly and stayed too long.
Power reacting. Ace leaned back in his chair like he had all the time in the world, thumb lazily scrolling through the flood of notifications. Hashtags climbed. Headlines exploded. Speculation spread like wildfire.
And then. He smiled. Slow. Crooked. Poisonous.
"As expected," he drawled, voice smooth with mockery. "Max really thinks he's out here starting a dynasty?" A soft chuckle slipped past his lips. "The audacity."
No one laughed. No one dared. Because across the table.
Violet hadn't moved.
