Chapter 7: First Impressions Revisited

Noah Vincent leaned against the floor to-ce ceiling window of his office and felt the city lights slink under him like a disordered sea of stars. It was a viewpoint he had come to demand, a panoramic monument to the empire he had built on tenacity, danger, and more than a few well selected betrayals. His eyes turned back, sharp and enigmatic, framed by jet-black hair that resisted insurrection with its ideal styling in the dark reflection of the glass. He was polished, under control, a constructed image exuding force. Everything about him was Tonight, though, the glittering shell felt thin, hardly holding the storm gathering inside together.

Lawson, Isaata. The moniker cut across his thinking like a razor, harsh and unavoidable. It took him back to moments he had thought he would have buried under layers of success and indifference. Surprisingly tenacious, the woman had a keen tongue that made her unforgettable and a rapid mind. Hair framing her face as she sat across fr