Chapter 1
The top floor of Ashford Global was silent.
Not because it was empty.
Because everyone on the floor knew better than to make unnecessary noise.
Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked Manhattan, the city glittering beneath a gray afternoon sky. Hundreds of employees moved throughout the building, but none of them dared disturb the man sitting behind the black oak desk.
Noah Ashford.
At twenty-four, he was already one of the youngest CEOs in the country.
And one of the most feared.
A stack of reports sat in front of him.
His jaw tightened as he flipped through another page.
Then another.
Then another.
Nothing.
Nothing new.
Nothing challenging.
Nothing worth his attention.
His dark eyes moved over the figures before he tossed the report onto the desk.
The sound echoed through the office.
A nervous assistant standing near the door visibly stiffened.
Noah noticed.
He ignored it.
The assistant hurried out the moment he was dismissed with a single glance.
Silence returned.
Noah leaned back in his chair and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
He had been working since six in the morning.
Meetings.
Calls.
Investors.
Board members.
Contracts.
And somehow the day still felt unbearably slow.
A knock interrupted his thoughts.
"Come in."
The office door opened.
A tall man entered carrying a tablet.
Unlike everyone else in the company, he didn't look nervous.
Liam Carter.
Business partner.
Childhood friend.
The closest thing Noah had to family besides his grandmother.
"In a bad mood, Mr. Ashford?" Liam asked professionally.
Noah looked up.
Only the two of them knew the question was a joke.
"I'm always in a bad mood."
Liam smirked.
"Fair point."
He stepped forward and placed the tablet on the desk.
"We've got a problem."
Now that got Noah's attention.
Liam rarely called something a problem unless it actually was one.
Noah picked up the tablet.
A file was open.
Several pages.
Financial records.
Debt reports.
Missed deadlines.
His expression darkened.
"Who is he?"
"David Blake."
Noah skimmed through the information.
The amount owed was massive.
More than enough to ruin an ordinary man.
The repayment deadline had passed weeks ago.
Yet not a single dollar had been returned.
Noah's fingers tapped against the desk.
Once.
Twice.
A habit he had whenever he was irritated.
"Why hasn't Legal handled this?"
"They tried."
"And?"
"He disappeared for a while."
Noah let out a humorless laugh.
"People always think running solves things."
"It usually doesn't."
Noah tossed the tablet back onto the desk.
"Schedule a meeting."
Liam shook his head.
"Already tried."
Noah looked at him.
Liam folded his arms.
"He refuses to come."
The room became quiet.
That was bold.
Stupid.
But bold.
Noah stood.
Immediately, the atmosphere shifted.
Even after years of friendship, Liam could never fully get used to it.
Noah barely spoke.
Rarely showed emotion.
Yet the moment he stood, people felt pressure.
Like something dangerous had entered the room.
"What are you doing?" Liam asked.
"Going to collect the debt."
Liam blinked.
"Personally?"
Noah grabbed his suit jacket from the chair.
"Is there a problem?"
"No."
Liam stared.
"Actually, yes."
Noah raised an eyebrow.
"You've never personally gone to collect a debt."
"There's a first time for everything."
Liam narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"You hate these things."
"I do."
"Then why are you coming?"
Noah slipped his arms into his jacket.
For a moment, he considered not answering.
Then he spoke.
"I'm bored."
Liam stared.
"You want to chase a debtor because you're bored?"
Noah picked up his car keys.
"Do you have a better idea?"
"Several."
"I'm not interested."
Liam sighed.
Sometimes talking to Noah felt like talking to a brick wall.
A very expensive brick wall.
"Fine, Mr. Ashford."
Noah headed toward the door.
Liam followed.
The moment they stepped outside the office, the professional masks returned.
Employees straightened.
Conversations stopped.
People moved out of their path.
"Mr. Ashford."
"Good afternoon, Mr. Ashford."
"Mr. Ashford."
Noah acknowledged none of them.
He simply continued walking.
Liam fought the urge to roll his eyes.
The man wasn't even trying.
Twenty minutes later, they were in a black SUV heading across the city.
Rain tapped softly against the windows.
Liam glanced over.
Noah sat silently beside him.
Looking out the window.
Thinking.
Or maybe not thinking at all.
It was impossible to tell.
"You know," Liam said after a while, "most billionaires spend their afternoons on yachts."
Noah didn't look away from the glass.
"Sounds boring."
"You think everything is boring."
"Most things are."
Liam laughed.
That earned him a glare.
"See? There's the Noah I know."
Noah ignored him.
The car continued through the streets.
Leaving behind skyscrapers and luxury towers.
Gradually, the neighborhoods became less impressive.
Smaller.
Older.
Worn down.
Liam checked the address.
"We're close."
Noah finally turned his attention away from the window.
The SUV slowed.
Then stopped.
Outside stood a modest house.
Nothing special.
Nothing remarkable.
Certainly not the kind of place someone would expect to owe Ashford Global a fortune.
The driver opened the door.
Rainy air rushed in.
Noah stepped out first.
Liam followed.
The two men approached the front door.
Neither spoke.
Neither smiled.
One carried the authority of the world's most powerful corporation.
The other carried years of loyalty beside him.
And somewhere inside that house sat David Blake.
A man who owed Noah Ashford an impossible amount of money.
Liam knocked.
The sound echoed through the house.
Then both men waited.
And for the first time all day, Noah felt something that wasn't boredom.
Curiosity.
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