Page 25 of The Hunter's Empire

I should have handled it differently. Calmer. Smarter. Instead, I challenged him like an idiot.

A humorless breath leaves me as I lean back in my chair, rubbing a hand slowly across my face before forcing my attention back toward the screen. The Keegan files remain open in front ofme. Encrypted routes, offshore accounts, dead-end surveillance reports.

Still impossible. And now probably even more impossible. Because the only person rumored to breach their systems without getting himself killed is a man I spent half the night provoking.

Brilliant.

I close the file on my screen with more force than necessary and pull up another file in its place. If Domenico Valenti is no longer an option, then I need alternatives. Fast.

Stefano’s offer is too valuable to lose.

A successful deal with him would strengthen my company immediately. New investors, new access, stronger leverage against the people already circling the empire waiting for me to fail. Men like Mikkel already think I’m inexperienced. One wrong move and they’ll start pushing harder.

I don't have the luxury of emotional distractions. Especially not a six-foot-something Ghost with a dangerous mouth and worse eyes.

Another frustrated breath leaves me as I force my attention back to the reports spread across my screen. Concentrating on work should be easy. Usually it is. But before I can make any real progress, a knock sounds at the office door and Erin steps inside with a small black envelope balanced between her fingers.

"There wasn't a return name." She says as she sets it down on my desk. "The receptionist said someone left it downstairs a few minutes ago."

My attention shifts immediately to the envelope sitting between us.

I hold my hand out and Erin passes me the envelope silently. The black paper feels expensive beneath my fingertips. Minimal and clean. Threatening somehow.

"Security checked it already." Erin adds carefully. "No issues."

I nod once.

She hesitates briefly like she wants to ask something, but thinks better of it.

The door closes behind her quietly, leaving me alone again.

For a second, I just stare at the envelope resting in my hand. I already know who it’s from. And somehow, that realization irritates me almost as much as the faint anticipation tightening low in my stomach.

Never play with a man’s ego if you want something from him, Zora.

The thought comes too late to be useful now.

I’ve never lost control during negotiations before. Never allowed someone to drag me into pointless verbal sparring just because they knew exactly how to provoke me. But Domenico… Something about him bypassed logic entirely. The worst part? I still can’t decide whether I regret it.

With a quiet exhale, I pull the contents from the envelope.

Inside rests a single black card. No message. No signature. Just a phone number written in elegant handwriting.

I hesitate for a moment before slowly reaching for my phone. Skepticism settles heavily in my chest as I glance down at the card between my fingers.

A phone number.

For a brief moment, I genuinely consider throwing it away. Last night was already enough of a disaster. I lost composure, challenged a man whose entire reputation is built around danger, and somehow still managed to spend the drive home thinking about the way he said my name instead of the fact that I probably destroyed my only chance at securing him for the Keegan job.

Objectively humiliating. And yet… my hand reaches for my phone anyway. I enter the number before I can reconsider it further and press call.

The line rings twice. Then…

"Ms. Krogen." The deep voice settles instantly beneath my skin.

It’s ridiculous how quickly my body recognizes it. A subtle chill moves across the back of my neck while my grip tightens slightly around the phone.

I lean back in my chair slowly. "I wasn’t expecting you to answer personally."