Damon stood there for a moment after Ravyn's voice settled into silence, staring at the wall as though the paint itself might rearrange into answers.
He could not remember the last time Ravyn had dropped the formal tone and asked for something that sounded even remotely like a favor.
The weight alone was enough to unsettle him, because men like Ravyn did not bend unless something was cracking beneath their feet.
"What kind of favor?" Damon finally asked, keeping his voice neutral even though his instincts were already sharpening.
On the other end of the line, Ravyn exhaled heavily, and that single breath carried more strain than any words could have.
"Seraphine is up against me," he said bluntly, no pride cushioning the admission. "She's backing the Stone Group and their stocks keep climbing while mine won't stabilize. Ever since she pulled out her investment, it's been rough. I was thinking… if you could invest more. I'm looking at fifty billion."
