Page 23 of Titus

“Did you expect anything less of me?” I answered.

“No. I am actually willing to offer you three times the market value for it,” he said, clearly recognizing that I was the one who’d made the purchase offer for his building, with a smile that left no doubt. Colton shifted slightly beside me, but I kept my gaze fixed on Christian.

Christian stepped further in, deliberately testing the space without fully crossing into it.

“You move fast,” he continued. “Three times market value and through a holding company?” He shook his head as if I were the fly caught in his web.

Wrong. My expression didn’t change. “You should’ve accepted.”

Christian’s smile sharpened, “My father made that mistake once.”

“Interesting,” Colton answered before I could, baiting him for more information so we could figure out what the hell this family was up to out here.

“You see, my dad underestimated the West Coast,” Christian added. “He believed money would be enough.”

I took a step forward. “Money is always enough,” I said quietly.

His gaze held mine.

“No,” he replied. “What is it you always used to say in our circles?” he snapped his fingers as if he had just answered a billion-dollar question. “Right, control is. Control is the answer to everything, and money follows that.”

Silence stretched between us.

“You’re not as difficult to track as you think,” he continued. “Even when you try to be quiet.”

“I don’t try,” I said. “Everything I do has a reason behind it. Don’t fool yourself into believing that rejecting my offer was in your best interest, or, dare I say, control.”

His expression tightened from smug to sharp in an instant. “I came here to make something clear,” he said, his voice dropping. “My building isn’t for sale, and neither is any business inside it.”

There it was. This was not just about the building. This was about the businesses within it. It was the people, the access, and the positioning of all the tenants, as if they stationed him anywhere in this world.

My jaw tightened just enough to register. “Perhaps then, you should’ve just ignored the offer,” I said, “instead of walking into my office.”

His expression shifted, “I like to be clear.”

“So do I.”

“So, Hawk?” he added. “Stay out of my building and away from my tenants.”

I moved around my desk slowly. “Your tenants pay you for square footage, Christian. They don’t belong to you.”

“We’ll see.”

“No.” I stopped in front of him. “You will.”

His jaw tightened.

“Enjoy your new headquarters,” he said before turning toward the door.

“Christian.”

He looked back.

“The next time you enter my office without an appointment, my security will return you to your building.”

He left without another word.

After the door closed, Colton released a slow breath.