"Vivian," Nelson said finally, letting the breath out slowly, "can I ask you something? And I'm not trying to pry."She tilted her head, glass still resting in her lap. "Depends on the question.""Why are you taking on so much?" he asked. "Your own company, your father's building, that whole mansion to look after on top of it. You said yourself nobody helps you carry it. So why carry all of it?"Vivian was quiet for a moment, turning the glass slowly between her fingers. "Because it's mine to carry," she said. "My father built all of this from nothing. My mother gave up half her life to keep the family steady while he did it. If I don't pick it up, then all of that just... sits there and rots. I can't watch that happen.""I get that," Nelson said. "I do. But you don't have to do it the hardest way possible.""And what would the easy way look like?" she asked, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "Enlighten me, Mr. Fisher."Nelson leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Think a

***CHAIRMAN'S OFFICE, 447 SKYLINE TOWER.The chairman's office occupied the entire top corner of Skyline Tower, floor-to-ceiling windows wrapping around two full walls, offering an unobstructed view of the skyline stretching out toward the Hudson River. Dark walnut furniture anchored the room, a bookshelf lined with framed accolades and old architectural models along one wall, and behind the wide glass-topped desk, an ergonomic leather chair currently occupied by a man in his mid-fifties with silver threading neatly through his hair, reading glasses perched low on his nose as he worked through something on his laptop.A gold nameplate sat at the front edge of the desk, angled just enough to catch the light Chairman Desmond Thompson.He was still typing when the door opened and a man in a sharply tailored suit stepped inside, there was a coiled wire running from beneath his jacket up to an earpiece. He folded his hands respectfully and gave a short bow."You sent for me, Chairman, s

Vivian stepped back into the private dining room and crossed to the table, her earlier composure was visibly still fraying slightly at the edges."Nelson," she said, stopping a few feet from him. "Are you truly intent on purchasing this tower?""Absolutely." Nelson said as he swirled the champagne in his flute, watching the liquid catch the light from as it spun. "My only real concern is whether your father will actually entertain the idea." He then took a sip and set the glass down gently. "What kind of man is he, anyway?"Vivian looked at him for a moment before answering, showing a subtle amount of something guarded in her expression. "Desmond Thompson… My father, if I was to say: he's mostly an enigma, even to me. He rarely shows up here, except for the annual gatherings and he has interests reaching far beyond this building."Nelson's mouth curled into a knowing smile, satisfied with his own judgment. "Elusive... That could complicate things." He tapped a finger lightly against t