orty-seventh floor, watching the city pulse below. Manhattan stretched out in every

lik

ay when Blackwood Enterprises would pass from his father's hands to his. Every decisi

Be ready.

ough the intercom. "Mr. Blackw

them

hread out of place. His office was a study in controlled elegance: mahogany desk, leather chairs, abstract a

ike hi

h practiced ease, his mind tracking numbers and projections while maintaining the personable dem

ess with you, Mr. Bla

eplied with a measured smile. "

dred unread emails. Fourteen pending contracts needing review. Seven conference ca

groomed him for

untless times growing up. "Four minutes matters. You

d it. Had built his en

door interrupte

me

king in a mirror. Same height, same build, same sharp feat

d and precise, Adrian had an ease about him, a loosenes

o one of the leather chairs across from Da

closed his lapt

tion division's Q4 projections. Wanted to run

operations and strategy. Adrian handled innovation and creative v

Twins. Bes

minutes apart-toys, rooms, clothes, friends, secrets. There wa

Damien said. "I'

n't move to leave. "Yo

released from the

r a moment. "You think he's really okay?

Said with rest and lifesty

elieve

brother's eye

e worried about the compan

ce was sharp. "Don't

mie

move, to do something. "Besides, even if something happened

"Or would it tear itself apart try

on hung be

if his father would choose him or Adrian. If four minutes of birth ord

ever said

finally. "Dad's going to be fine. And we

. Yeah. You're probably right." He hea

ea

d, with the company-we're

Damien look at him more closely.

miled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.

be t

ne in his pristine office, feeling

assistant: *Don't forget-charity aucti

year. Normally he'd send a generous check and skip the actual event-he had no patien

ken something loose in him. The realization that time wasn't in

ing different. Be someone di

*The Annual Arts Education Charity Gala. Blac

ay. Three

e could make it work. Show his face, bid on something, network wi

on. The logical,

ing but work. That he'd sacrificed every personal relationship, every friendship, every romantic possibili

ted. Not because it was

response to his assistant: *RSVP yes for t

efore he coul

or a few hours. Then Monday would come and life would return to normal-meetings

l deviation from the rigid struct

could come

again-this time a

answered. "For

you handle everything. The company, Dad's expectations, all of i

ighten in his chest. "T

, right? Alwa

l be," Dami

ked at the charity gala invita

e night to be someone other than

estroy everything he thought he knew about himself, h

dn't come s

ld come fa