Author & Theo Calloway POV
Most people underestimated Theo Calloway.
That was by design.
In public, Theo was easy to like—too easy.
He laughed too quickly, spoke too casually, leaned into jokes at the wrong moments, and carried himself like a man who had never once taken anything seriously in his life. At events, he was the one making light conversation while deals happened around him. The charming cousin. The unserious one. The harmless Calloway.
Even Lucian had once described him, dryly, as "functionally ridiculous."
Theo had laughed the loudest at that.
Because it worked.
People trusted what felt light.
They ignored what felt harmless.
And Theo?
Theo watched everything.
⸻
The office was quiet when the alerts started coming in.
2:17 a.m.
Theo sat alone, sleeves rolled, top button undone, a glass of something expensive untouched near his hand as his screens flickered to life one by one.
Private feeds.
Market whispers.
Flagged names.
And then—
Allison Croft.
