Lombard arrived at the private hangar.A man in a professionally tailored suit was already waiting several feet away. The moment he saw Lombard, he bowed so low his head nearly brushed the ground.Lombard walked past him without a word.He carried only a suitcase.Gone were the casual clothes.Now he wore a three-piece suit so expensive it could probably cover rent for entire neighborhoods for years. The kind of suit that would have left one of his exes blushing in utter confusion, wondering how the man she thought she knew had ever been capable of affording something like that.Dark sunglasses rested on his face.He looked exactly like the kind of man who moved the world without needing to announce it.Which, to be fair, was not far from the truth.He stepped into the helicopter waiting for him.The second he got in, it lifted.Once they had stabilized in the air, a woman in a matching professional suit approached him, carrying a file. She placed it neatly on the table in front of hi

“Why the hell did you hang up on me?” Carlos snapped the second the call connected.“I figured we should learn basic manners first,” Lombard replied smoothly. “You don’t call someone you’ve never met in your life a lowlife, Carlos.”Silence.Not long.But enough.Maybe Carlos was finally realizing that information about Angel was not something just anyone could casually weaponize.Meaning the man he was dealing with was definitely not some random nuisance caller.Carlos sucked in a breath.Then his tone changed so fast it was almost funny.“You know, Lombard, I was just about to have lunch. Having some company wouldn’t be so bad. We could share a few laughs over a meal.”The fake friendliness was almost insulting.“How about you come over to my house? It’s spacious. Comfortable. Once you get to know me, things will be easier between us.”“We do this on my terms.” Lombard’s voice stayed calm. Flat. Controlled.“If you want lunch with me, you come to the address I’m about to send.”The

“Positive thinking can clear out all of your insecurities.”The woman in the white gown said it from the podium with a microphone clipped somewhere so discreetly it almost looked like magic.And with that absurdly angelic voice?You only needed to hear her once before you started believing whatever nonsense she was selling.Because for some deeply unfortunate reason, the human brain loved polished nonsense.Dress bullshit nicely enough, make it sound soft and enlightened, and suddenly people lined up to consume it.Then came back for more.Which was exactly how people became regular attendees at this woman’s seminars.She held them three times a month.And each session cost a thousand dollars just to get through the door.Because of course.Apparently personal healing had a luxury membership plan.And somehow people kept paying.Because she had this clever little explanation.She’d said more than once that she didn’t actually need anyone’s money.No.The thousand dollars was simply pr