Ethan
The board meeting confirmed what Eleanor had promised, my documentation of Preston's involvement with Marcus Webb enough to quietly end any further discussion of removing me from the Ashford account. Preston sat through the entire proceeding in stiff, furious silence, and I understood, watching him leave without a word once the meeting adjourned, that whatever restraint had kept him operating in careful shadows before was likely gone now.
He confirmed that suspicion three days later.
Priya found me in my office just after six, her expression tighter than I'd seen it in weeks. "Preston's been making calls," she said. "To immigration counsel. And to two members of the city planning board who oversee restaurant licensing."
My stomach tightened. "Julian's restaurant."
"That's my rea
