Page 93 of Titus

“We know,” Colton answered flatly, not looking up from the reports in front of him. “That’s why you’re here.”

Jesus Christ. I almost smiled but kept my composure.

Lawson continued carefully, “However, given the Maldives situation and recent market instability surrounding private island acquisitions, we believe adjustments should be made to reflect increased risk exposure.”

Here we go again.

Wyatt leaned back slowly in his chair. “Ah,” he sighed. “So, this is the part where you try to leverage a rumor into a larger ownership stake.”

Lawson smiled tightly. “Well, I wouldn’t put it that way.”

“I would,” Colton answered calmly.

The room went quiet. I leaned back slowly in my chair, studying Lawson long enough to make him shift uncomfortably beneath the silence settling across the room.

Weak men usually filled the silence quickly. Powerful ones like me let it suffocate people first.

“The problem with investors,” I said calmly, folding my hands on the black marble table, “is that most of them mistake proximity to wealth for understanding how it’s actually created.”

Lawson’s jaw tightened slightly.

“Now, had you approached this meeting with more respect,” I continued evenly, “you would’ve realized that Hawk Enterprise withdrew from the Maldives before the leak became public.”

None of them spoke after I relayed that fact.

“Which means,” Colton added casually as he reviewed projections, “the island was already dead to us before brokers started inflating its valuation.”

“Tsk, tsk.” Wyatt smirked by the windows overlooking the harbor. “You attempted to leverage a project we’d already walked away from.”

Lawson straightened slightly. “With respect, gentlemen, market perception continues to affect investor confidence.”

That was almost laughable.

“Investor confidence?” I questioned calmly. “No. You mean weak investors react emotionally to headlines. An investor who’s serious and not interested in wasting my time? They recognize strategic repositioning before everyone else catches up.”

They remained silent as I slowly stood from the table and walked toward the towering glass overlooking Newport Harbor.

“Hawk Crown Reserve was not designed for mass luxury,” I continued. “It’s being built for individuals wealthy enough to disappear from the world.”

I turned slightly toward them.

“The vision is simple. Privacy. Isolation. Exclusivity,” I smiled faintly. “The Maldives became too visible.”

I watched their lips twist as they realized the damn leak hadn’t damaged us. Instead, it refined the entire project.

“Which means,” Wyatt added lightly, “you gentlemen walked in here negotiating against an outdated vision.”

“So…” Lawson’s composure finally cracked slightly. “You already secured another location.”

I calmly adjusted the cuff of my black suit. “Seychelles,” I answered simply.

Colton smirked slightly at the immediate look on their faces, because they knew exactly what that meant. Seychelles positioned us as ultra-elite and significantly more long-term value.

“We’re restructuring investor access accordingly,” I continued. “Unfortunately, this means we’ll be reducing outside participation.”

Lawson blinked. “Reducing⁠—”

“Yes,” I interrupted evenly. “You asked for more equity.” I held his gaze calmly. “So I decided you no longer deserved it.”