Page 5 of Deadly Legacy (The House of Matvei #3)

T he razor glided along Reuben’s jaw as he watched Nikon’s reflection in the bathroom mirror. Steam curled around them both, remnants of Nikon’s shower, infusing the air with the spicy scent of his expensive body wash.

“You’re overthinking.” Nikon leaned against the doorframe, a towel wrapped around his waist. Water droplets traced paths down the defined muscles of his chest, pausing at the constellation of scars Reuben had memorized with his fingers.

“And how would you know what I’m thinking?” Reuben rinsed the blade, tapping it against the sink.

“Your eyebrows do this thing when you’re strategizing.” Nikon drew his own eyebrows together in exaggerated concentration. “Like a chess player plotting their endgame.”

Reuben’s hand stilled with a sigh. “Quantize Guard is the biggest acquisition we’ve pursued. If we land them—”

“ When you land them.” Nikon stepped closer, his warmth pressed against Reuben’s back.

“—it legitimizes Matthew Capital beyond any question.” The blade returned to his skin, carefully navigating the curve of Reuben’s chin. “No one can call us a flash in the pan after this.”

Nikon’s fingers traced a path across Reuben’s shoulder, raising goosebumps along his skin. “I’m coming with you.”

The razor paused mid-stroke. “What? No.” Reuben set it down with a sharp click against the marble counter. “This is my meeting, my company.”

“And our security concern.” Nikon’s hand settled on Reuben’s bare back, warm and steady. His thumb drew small circles against Reuben’s skin.

Reuben turned, finding himself bracketed between the counter and Nikon’s body. “I can handle a business meeting without—”

“I just want to be sure you’re safe.” Nikon’s eyes softened as he held Reuben’s gaze. “And if Dmitrii is involved, the threat is real.”

Reuben felt himself yielding, unable to keep up his resistance when Nikon leaned forward to place a gentle kiss on his forehead.

His eyes drifted down to Nikon’s bare torso, admiring the defined muscles still glistening with droplets of water.

Reuben leaned forward, stealing a quick kiss that tasted of mint toothpaste.

“Fine. But you’re wearing the charcoal Brioni. We need to look like partners, not like I brought my bodyguard.”

Light filled the minimalist conference room at Quantize Guard’s headquarters, highlighting the CFO’s constant adjustment of her watch band, fingers sliding it back and forth across her wrist.

The cool metal and glass of the room contrasted with the warm wood accent wall—modern security wrapped in approachable design, just like their product.

Reuben noted the fidgeting, filing away the observation as he adjusted his cuffs. The three founders of Quantize Guard sat across the glass table—Stephan Yan, the lead developer, flanked by Mia Adebayo, the CFO, and Drew Davies, their excitable young hardware specialist.

Nikon stood near the window, silent but unmistakably present. His stillness commanded attention, drawing nervous glances from the founders whenever they looked up.

Reuben noticed Drew’s shoulders tense when Nikon shifted his weight, and Mia’s eyes darting to him mid-sentence.

He suppressed a flicker of annoyance—this was precisely why Reuben had initially resisted bringing Nikon.

The intimidation factor might work in casino back rooms, but it could derail the careful rapport he was trying to build with these tech entrepreneurs.

Reuben leaned forward, deliberately softening his smile and warming his tone, working double-time to counterbalance Nikon’s looming presence.

“What I love about what you’ve built,” Reuben said, sliding the prospectus toward them with an engaging grin, “is how you’ve made cutting-edge security feel intuitive. That’s the approach we take at Matthew Capital.”

He noticed Drew’s posture relax slightly at the compliment, the young engineer clearly proud of their user interface design.

“Most investors just see numbers,” Reuben continued, watching their faces carefully. Drew’s eyes widened—a tell. “But we see the vision behind them.”

“We’ve had several competitive offers,” Mia said, glancing at her phone for the third time in five minutes—not random checks, but a rhythm. “Including from more... established firms.”

“What makes your approach different?”

“Think of us as your amplifier, not your replacement.” Reuben leaned forward with a conspiratorial grin. “You’ve built something remarkable. We’re here to help the world see it.”

Drew’s pupils contracted at “see it.”

Interesting.

“About documentation,” Reuben kept his tone light, “who typically has access to your security architecture specs? I’m curious about your internal controls.”

Stephan’s eyes darted toward Drew. Guilt flashed across the lead developer’s face.

“We have a multi-layered security approach,” Stephan said, fingers rapping against the glossy presentation folder. The soft whir of the building’s advanced climate system created an almost subliminal background hum in the otherwise silent room.

“And your white paper was very impressive,” Reuben offered with a genuine smile. “Especially how your system adapts to new threats. Did you develop that in-house?”

Stephan’s posture relaxed slightly. “Drew led that team. It’s actually his specialty.”

“We wanted something that could learn from attacks,” Drew added, enthusiasm brightening his voice. “Most systems just react after the damage is done.”

“That’s exactly what caught my attention,” Reuben said, leaning forward. “The way it can predict problems before they happen. Have you thought about using this beyond just data centers?”

“We’ve looked into several markets,” Mia interjected, the sharp click of her nails against her tablet punctuating her words. “Banks seem especially interested.”

Reuben nodded. “Of course. I imagine your documentation process must be extensive for compliance reasons.”

“Four redundant systems,” Drew said proudly. “Military-grade protocols.”

“Speaking of documentation,” Reuben carefully kept his tone conversational, “who typically has access to your security architecture specs? I’m curious about your internal controls.”

Stephan’s eyebrows drew together. “Just standard team access. Why?”

“Due diligence,” Reuben replied smoothly. “I’ve seen promising startups lose everything through documentation leaks. Has anyone else requested detailed system information recently? Perhaps another investment group?”

Drew exchanged a quick glance with Stephan—the same fleeting eye contact Reuben had witnessed countless times across poker tables when players bluffed with nothing.

“Wallace Hoyt’s team met with us last week,” Stephan admitted, his index finger drumming briefly against the table before he caught himself and stopped. “They asked a lot of pointed questions about how our surveillance system is implemented.”

A cold knot formed in Reuben’s gut at his father’s name, but his expression remained neutral. “I imagine they did.”

Nikon straightened by the window, shifting his weight as he adjusted his stance. Though he’d barely moved, every head in the room turned toward him momentarily, then back to Reuben.

“Their interest seemed unusual,” Drew blurted, words rushing forward. “They were more focused on infrastructure access points than market potential.”

Reuben let silence fill the room for three calculated seconds. “That’s not surprising. Hoyt Investment Group has different priorities than Matthew Capital.”

“Different how?” Mia pressed, all of a sudden more engaged.

“We want to build your company.” Reuben smiled, all charm, but with eyes that remained sharp. “But they want to use it.”

Stephan placed his palms flat on the table, fingers splayed like he was steadying himself. “Could you elaborate on that?”

“Gladly.” Reuben tapped his forefinger against his watch. “But first, what specific questions did they ask about your surveillance capabilities? The details matter.”

Twenty minutes later, after discussing implementation timelines and answering the founders’ increasingly technical questions, Reuben closed his portfolio with a satisfied nod. The conversation had shifted in their favor after the revelation about Wallace’s unusual focus.

The parking lot lay deserted as they departed Quantize Guard’s offices. Nikon walked beside Reuben, their bodies gravitating toward each other with each step.

“They’re hiding something,” Nikon said once they were in the car, tinted windows creating their private bubble.

Reuben unbuttoned his suit jacket and leaned back against the leather passenger seat. “Three somethings, at least. Did you catch Drew’s reaction when I mentioned external audits?”

“And Mia’s phone checks.” Nikon’s eyes narrowed. “She kept looking at it. Not random. Maybe someone’s waiting for updates?”

“My father’s people, most likely.” The words felt like gravel in Reuben’s mouth.

Nikon’s hand found Reuben’s knee, a brief squeeze of support before returning to the steering wheel. “You handled them well, though. They were expecting financial intimidation, not conversational chess.”

“Back in my finance program, I was taught to bombard potential partners with projections and market analyses.” Reuben watched the city buildings blur past. “Now I just read the room like it’s a game of five-card stud.”

“Different playing field, same skills.” Nikon’s lips curved upward in one corner. “And that’s why we’re winning.”

The GPS directed them to the suburbs, away from their downtown penthouse.

Reuben checked his watch—he’d make it to Grigorii’s before Samuil’s bedtime.

The thought warmed him. Visiting Samuil for a game of chess had become a weekly ritual that was as much a part of his life as Matthew Capital’s board meetings.

“Samuil mastered the Sicilian Defense last week,” Reuben said, thumb sliding across his phone calendar. “I promised to teach him the Ruy Lopez today.”