Page 8 of Deadly Legacy
“Your eyebrows do this thing when you’re strategizing.” Nikon drew his own eyebrows together in exaggerated concentration. “Like a chess player plotting their endgame.”
Reuben’s hand stilled with a sigh. “Quantize Guard is the biggest acquisition we’ve pursued. If we land them—”
“Whenyou land them.” Nikon stepped closer, his warmth pressed against Reuben’s back.
“—it legitimizes Matthew Capital beyond any question.” The blade returned to his skin, carefully navigating the curve of Reuben’s chin. “No one can call us a flash in the pan after this.”
Nikon’s fingers traced a path across Reuben’s shoulder, raising goosebumps along his skin. “I’m coming with you.”
The razor paused mid-stroke. “What? No.” Reuben set it down with a sharp click against the marble counter. “This ismymeeting,mycompany.”
“Andoursecurity concern.” Nikon’s hand settled on Reuben’s bare back, warm and steady. His thumb drew small circles against Reuben’s skin.
Reuben turned, finding himself bracketed between the counter and Nikon’s body. “I can handle a business meeting without—”
“I just want to be sure you’re safe.” Nikon’s eyes softened as he held Reuben’s gaze. “And if Dmitrii is involved, the threat is real.”
Reuben felt himself yielding, unable to keep up his resistance when Nikon leaned forward to place a gentle kiss on his forehead. His eyes drifted down to Nikon’s bare torso, admiring the defined muscles still glistening with droplets of water. Reuben leaned forward, stealing a quick kiss that tasted of mint toothpaste.
“Fine. But you’re wearing the charcoal Brioni. We need to look like partners, not like I brought my bodyguard.”
Light filled the minimalist conference room at Quantize Guard’s headquarters, highlighting the CFO’s constant adjustment of her watch band, fingers sliding it back and forth across her wrist.
The cool metal and glass of the room contrasted with the warm wood accent wall—modern security wrapped in approachable design, just like their product.
Reuben noted the fidgeting, filing away the observation as he adjusted his cuffs. The three founders of Quantize Guard sat across the glass table—Stephan Yan, the lead developer, flanked by Mia Adebayo, the CFO, and Drew Davies, their excitable young hardware specialist.
Nikon stood near the window, silent but unmistakably present. His stillness commanded attention, drawing nervous glances from the founders whenever they looked up.
Reuben noticed Drew’s shoulders tense when Nikon shifted his weight, and Mia’s eyes darting to him mid-sentence. He suppressed a flicker of annoyance—this waspreciselywhy Reuben had initially resisted bringing Nikon. The intimidation factor might work in casino back rooms, but it could derail the careful rapport he was trying to build with these tech entrepreneurs.
Reuben leaned forward, deliberately softening his smile and warming his tone, working double-time to counterbalance Nikon’s looming presence.
“What I love about what you’ve built,” Reuben said, sliding the prospectus toward them with an engaging grin, “is how you’ve made cutting-edge security feel intuitive. That’s the approach we take at Matthew Capital.”
He noticed Drew’s posture relax slightly at the compliment, the young engineer clearly proud of their user interface design.
“Most investors just see numbers,” Reuben continued, watching their faces carefully. Drew’s eyes widened—a tell. “But we see the vision behind them.”
“We’ve had several competitive offers,” Mia said, glancing at her phone for the third time in five minutes—not random checks, but a rhythm. “Including from more... established firms.”
“What makes your approach different?”
“Think of us as your amplifier, not your replacement.” Reuben leaned forward with a conspiratorial grin. “You’ve built something remarkable. We’re here to help the world see it.”
Drew’s pupils contracted at “see it.”
Interesting.
“About documentation,” Reuben kept his tone light, “who typically has access to your security architecture specs? I’m curious about your internal controls.”
Stephan’s eyes darted toward Drew. Guilt flashed across the lead developer’s face.
“We have a multi-layered security approach,” Stephan said, fingers rapping against the glossy presentation folder. The soft whir of the building’s advanced climate system created an almost subliminal background hum in the otherwise silent room.
“And your white paper was very impressive,” Reuben offered with a genuine smile. “Especially how your system adapts to new threats. Did you develop that in-house?”
Stephan’s posture relaxed slightly. “Drew led that team. It’s actually his specialty.”
