Damian Sterling's Ambition

"Mr. Sterling. I imagine you already know by now Kael Mercer is Unrivaled."

"I know exactly where he is tonight. Interested in working together? Let's reel in this particular fish before anyone else gets the same idea."

Sterling went rigid at the first sentence, every trace of casual irritation burning off in an instant.

He straightened on the sofa, expression hardening into something far more deliberate. "Who is this. Why should I trust a word of it?"

"You don't need my name.

You don't need to trust me either." The voice on the other end stayed perfectly even, unhurried, carrying the particular calm of someone who'd already won the conversation before it started.

"You just get one chance to say yes. Decline, and I find another partner."

Sterling's expression cycled through several calculations in quick succession before settling into resolve.

"How does this work."