Ravyn felt the trap closing around him almost the moment the question left Seraphine's mouth, because the danger hidden inside that seemingly simple challenge became painfully obvious the instant he began considering what would happen if he answered it the wrong way.
He understood very clearly that repeating the threat he had made earlier about cutting off business ties would not intimidate anyone sitting in this room the way he had once believed it might, because the investors gathered inside the private club possessed enough power and influence to retaliate in ways that could destroy Walker Global Enterprise before he even had time to react.
If those powerful figures chose to withdraw their investments together, the consequences would crash into the company's stock value with ruthless speed, sending prices spiraling downward while Ravyn stood there forced to watch years of careful expansion and relentless ambition crumble in front of a room filled with witnesses.
