The Heir Behind Bars

Chapter Eighty Six

The private club on Hawthorne Avenue was the kind of place where power congregated in whispers. The air smelled faintly of aged scotch and cigars, though no smoke lingered tonight. Nathan preferred it that way—clear, unobstructed, controlled.

He sat at a corner table, the signed document laid neatly before him in its folio. Cassandra had given it to him with steady hands, though he could still feel the tremor of their shared history. Now, only one remaining final stroke was needed to solidify everything: his claim to Hayes Industries, his birthright at last.

Victor Kane arrived with his usual lack of urgency. The older man adjusted his glasses as he slid into the seat opposite Nathan, carrying with him the air of someone who had seen too many empires rise and crumble.

“You’ve already obtained Hayes’s signature,” Victor said without preamble, nodding toward the folio. “Clever. Risky. But clever.”

Nathan placed his pen against the paper, his fingers steady despite the gravity of the mom