The meeting request was unexpected.
No subject line. Just a calendar ping, marked urgent, with the sender listed as a private client.
It wasn't unusual. Special clients often asked for things without much context. But this one was odd. The meeting wasn't at one of the regular conference rooms. It was on the top floor, where the chairman's guests met their own guests.
Cassian checked the time again. 6:02 PM. Most of the building had already emptied out.
He took the elevator alone.
The floor was quiet. No receptionist. Just a single nameplate on a matte black door: Private Lounge.
He knocked once and stepped in.
It took less than a second for recognition to hit him.
The man in the room was seated at a low table, stirring a cup of tea. Grey slacks, thick beige sweater, and the same old wooden cane leaning against the armrest. Neatly combed white hair. Calm eyes.
"So, we meet again, my friend," the man said.
Cassian kept his expression neutral, but his mind raced.
The coffee shop.
The card.
The warning.
"Please, sit," the man said.
Cassian sat across from him.
"Do you know who I am?" the man asked.
"You're a client."
"A good answer. Not the full one. But good."
Cassian didn't respond. He waited.
The man poured tea for both of them. No assistant. No guards. Just two cups on the table.
"Call me Pieter," he said.
Cassian nodded. "Cassian."
"I know."
A pause. Cassian didn't touch the tea. Pieter took a sip.
"I asked for you because I need help. Not the kind this firm usually gives."
"Why me?"
"Because i feel like it."
Silence.
"And because you handle things in your own way." Pieter added.
Cassian stayed quiet. Letting Pieter talk. The more someone says, the more they reveal. It was something he'd learned long ago.
"I'll be direct," Pieter said, setting the cup down. "I want to quietly exit one of my positions. A company. A small one. Public. Not worth much, but tied to a few things. Normally, this would be handled through routine procedures. Layered sales, proxy routes, maybe a whisper campaign. But this one…this one's sensitive."
Cassian leaned slightly forward. "Why?"
"Because I didn't invest in the company for profit. I used it to keep someone else out. And now I want out myself. But without alerting them."
"Them?"
"Someone who shouldn't know I'm backing off."
Pieter opened a folder and slid it across the table.
"The company is called Voltrys. You won't find much in public records. Just that it makes small sensors. Medical industry. That's the surface. But the real use is leverage. It holds certain tech licenses. Licenses that aren't valuable by themselves, but enough to slow down competitors."
Cassian read fast. The documents weren't technical, but they were full of complex stuff. Who owned what, how money moved, and decisions made behind closed doors. Each part hinted at something deeper. The person who wrote them didn't dumb anything down, but also didn't make it too hard to follow.
Pieter spoke as Cassian flipped through the pages.
"Seven years ago, a certain player wanted to acquire a sensor firm in Belgium. He was planning a longer chain: small parts, built into equipment that could later be used in military-related products. I didn't want that. Not because I care about politics. But because it would consolidate too much power into one hand. So I quietly bought enough shares to take control of the company. Then spread the ownership across different accounts. Made it look like a normal investment."
Cassian looked up. "And now?"
"Now the same man is circling again. He thinks I'm still holding my shares. If I suddenly sell, and he finds out, he'll act fast to buy up control before anyone else. That would raise red flags. Others will notice the rush and jump in. It would turn into a bidding war. The price would spike, and the company could fall into the wrong hands. So I need to exit quietly. Slowly. Like it's just routine trading."
Cassian thought for a second.
"How much do you hold?"
"Fifty-one percent. Split across six accounts. Three under other names."
"How fast do you want out?"
"Within three months."
"And he's watching the volume?"
"Not directly. But he'll notice any real change."
Cassian nodded slowly.
"The easiest route is to stage a disagreement."
Pieter raised an eyebrow.
Cassian continued. "Make it seem like there's internal conflict. Maybe a compliance issue. Push someone out. Sell one account entirely, let another double down. Create noise. Make it look like bad management."
Pieter smiled faintly. "Interesting."
"If the price drops slightly, it won't be a concern. He'll think you're losing grip. Not leaving."
Pieter leaned back. "And after that?"
"You start selling shares from the accounts of those who appear to disagree with your strategy. That way, it looks like normal internal shifts, not a full exit. Let people assume what they want, it hides the real reason."
There was a pause.
Pieter didn't move. Then he said, "And who do I push out?"
Cassian didn't answer immediately. He opened the folder again. Looked at the list of names.
Then he paused.
There.
One name stood out.
From a different file. A minor link, but enough.
"Cassian pointed to a name. "This guy reported the company's assets as higher than they really were. It wasn't by much, just enough that no one would notice right away."
Pieter said nothing.
Cassian added, "I thought it was a rounding issue. Now I think he's positioning himself. Either for more control or a separate deal."
Pieter sat forward.
"You're sure?"
"Eighty percent. If you give me access to his last three weeks of reports, I can confirm."
"Done."
There was silence again. This time heavier.
Pieter looked at Cassian for a long time.
"What would you do with someone like that?"
Cassian looked back.
"Depends. Do you want to punish him? Or use him?"
Pieter smiled. "Suppose I want both."
Cassian leaned back, thinking.
"Let him think he's getting what he wants. Then offer him a choice: he can leave quietly, with no damage to his name or record. Or you leak the inflated numbers to the financial authorities, without it ever being traced back to you."
"Won't that hurt the company?"
"Not if you manage it carefully. Say it was just a small error in one report. Create a fake leak through another company. Then fix it fast. The stock drops for a short time, but then goes back to normal."
Pieter nodded.
"And what do I do with the shares he holds?"
"Buy them back through someone else, like a shell company or trusted contact, so it doesn't look like the shares are coming back to you. Let it seem like internal consolidation. Then flip them quietly over two months."
Pieter smiled.
It wasn't a friendly smile. It was thoughtful.
"And why do you think I came to you, Cassian?"
Cassian didn't answer.
Pieter watched him for another moment, not answering his own question, then slowly stood up.
"We'll speak again."
Cassian stood too.
As Pieter walked to the door, he paused.
"You didn't touch your tea."
Cassian glanced at it. "I don't drink anything I didn't see made."
Pieter chuckled.
"Good. Keep that habit."
Then he left.
Later that night
Pieter sat in the backseat of his car. The city lights moved past the tinted windows.
He thought about the boy. About the way he spoke. Calm and no wasted words.
"Keep an eye on him," Pieter said to the driver.
The man nodded.
Pieter leaned his head back. Closed his eyes.
He had seen this type before.
But rarely so young.
And almost never so careful.
He wasn't sure yet if Cassian Neville would be a weapon.
Or a threat.
But he was certain of one thing.
He would be useful.
Proxy routes [Proxy routes are ways to hide who's really behind a trade or decision.]
Whisper campaign [A whisper campaign is when rumors are spread quietly to shift public opinion or market moves.]
Shell company [A shell company looks real but has no real business. It's used to hide who's buying or selling something.]
Compliance issue [A compliance issue means someone didn't follow the rules set by financial regulators.]