Page 26 of Deadly Legacy
“I just want him to see me as capable. As an equal.” His fingers tapped against the table, a rhythm of frustration.
“And he wants to keepyousafe. Those things can both exist.” Natalia’s hand briefly covered his, warm against his knuckles. “His love looks like protection. Your love looks like independence. Neither is wrong.”
A lightness replaced the weight he’d carried since last night. Not a solution, but a new perspective. This wasn’t control versus freedom. It was simply two different approaches to keeping each other safe.
“I need to get to the office.” Reuben checked his watch, surprised at how time had slipped away. “The next Quantize Guard meeting is in an hour. This one’s critical - we need to walk through the technical integration plan before next week’s final presentation.”
Natalia nodded, reaching for her purse. “Go show them why Matthew Capital is their best option. And Reuben?” She caught his eye as he stood. “Remember that partnership meansaccepting each other’s instincts, even when they’re different from your own.”
The glass-walled conference room of Matthew Capital Ventures offered a panoramic view of the city skyline, the glass towers reflecting against neighboring skyscrapers. Reuben adjusted his tie as he watched the Quantize Guard team settle around the mahogany table.
The gentle hum of the building’s ventilation system created a backdrop of white noise that ensured their conversation wouldn’t carry beyond the room.
“Thanks for meeting with us today,” Reuben began, resting his palms on the cool table surface. “This is just our first step. We’ll need several meetings over the next week, leading up to the final presentation next Friday when you’ll consider all competing offers.”
Stephan Yan, the lead developer, leaned forward. “Your firm’s been around less than a year. Why trust Matthew Capital with something we’ve spent three years building?”
Direct and to the point. Reuben had expected this.
“Because we’re not just investors,” he replied, meeting each founder’s eyes in turn. “We’re building infrastructure around your vision that bigger, slower firms can’t match. And our team knows how to scale Quantize Guard without compromising what makes it special.”
Mia Adebayo, the CFO, made a note, her pen scratching against the paper. “And how would the transition work? We want to keep our development on schedule.”
“We’ve outlined that here.” Reuben slid folders across to each founder. “You keep complete creative control over your technology. We handle scaling, marketing, distribution.”
As they reviewed the materials, movement in the building’s ground floor lobby caught Reuben’s attention through the glass walls.
Three men in dark suits positioned themselves near the public reception desk. Their stance, the way they scanned the space, the slight bulge disrupting their jacket lines—these weren’t regular building security.
They were keeping to the publicly accessible area, but their positioning gave them clear sight lines to the elevator bank and main entrance.
Reuben’s pulse quickened, but his expression remained neutral. Stepan’s training echoed in his mind:Observe without revealing awareness.
One man touched his ear—an earpiece. Another positioned himself to watch the elevators while keeping the conference room in sight. The third kept his hand near his waist, ready to reach inside his jacket.
Professional. Armed. But not Matvei’s people.
Drew Davies asked something about patent protection. The sharp click of his pen punctuated the question. Reuben answered automatically, while assessing his options.
Their current room had only one exit, visible from the lobby. “Actually,” Reuben cut himself off mid-sentence, “let me show you something better. Our secure development lab has the equipment we need for the technical discussion.”
There was no need to worry the founders, but Matthew Capital’s windowless interior conference room would be more prudent than the glass-walled space overlooking the lobby.
Reuben led them to a room requiring his fingerprint for access. Once inside, he discreetly texted Alexei’s security team:
Surveillance team in ground lobby. Three men, armed.
The response came seconds later:
Confirmed. Under observation. Continue as normal. Building security alerted.
Reuben’s breathing steadied as he picked up where he’d left off, explaining Matthew Capital’s approach to intellectual property. In the quieter room, with only the soft tap of Mia’s stylus against her tablet breaking the silence, the founders’ shoulders lowered, their questions becoming more detailed about market strategy.
Two hours later, the meeting concluded with handshakes and scheduled follow-ups. The security situation had been handled without disruption. And Alexei’s team had tracked the unknown men to their vehicle without engaging.
A quiet satisfaction settled in Reuben’s chest as he walked the founders to the elevator. He’d managed everything independently; no panicked call to Nikon, and no disruption to the meeting. Just evaluation and appropriate response.
This was what partnership should look like—Nikon’s security systems supporting Reuben’s business approach, not competing with it.
