The air in the ballroom felt thinner. Maybe it was the weight of the conversation—or the way Barnie lingered before vanishing into the crowd.
Lex could feel it—the room shift.
Rose stood by his side, pretending to sip from the glass she hadn't touched in ten minutes. Her gaze followed Trent across the room, reading his body language the way a predator tracks prey.
"Trent hasn't looked away from you since Barnie left," Rose whispered, brushing her arm against Lex's like she was fixing his cuff.
Lex smirked faintly.
"Let him watch."
Rose's voice dipped lower.
"Watching isn't the problem. Waiting is."
Lex's eyes flicked toward the far corner of the room, where two of Barnie's men were stationed near the exit. They weren't security. Lex recognized them from the alley two nights ago—the same men who'd been parked near his building for weeks.
Lex's grip tightened on the edge of the champagne glass.
"They're not waiting for me to leave," Lex muttered.
Rose's brow furrowed.
"Then why are they still here?"
Lex met her gaze, his smirk fading.
"Because they're making sure I don't."
Ten minutes later, Lex slipped away from the main floor, hands tucked in his coat pockets as he moved toward the elevators.
Rose trailed behind him, heels clicking faintly against the marble.
"Leaving early?" she asked quietly, brushing past him just enough to block Trent's line of sight for a moment.
Lex exhaled softly, hitting the elevator button with his knuckle.
"Barnie wanted me here. I figure I'll leave before he gets whatever he's waiting for."
Rose's eyes narrowed faintly, scanning the hall behind them.
The elevator doors slid open.
Lex stepped inside, but Rose didn't follow.
"You're staying?" Lex asked, watching her carefully.
Rose leaned against the wall beside the elevator, arms crossed.
"I'll hang back. Keep eyes on Trent."
Lex hesitated for a second longer than he should have.
Something about this felt off. Barnie wouldn't be this sloppy.
The doors began to close, and Rose caught them with her hand, locking eyes with him one last time.
"Watch your back, Lex."
Lex smirked faintly.
"Always do."
The doors slid shut.
Penthouse – 47th Floor
The penthouse was dark when Lex stepped inside.
No lights. No sound.
But it wasn't empty.
Lex felt it before he saw him.
Barnie was waiting, seated casually on the couch near the floor-to-ceiling window, his reflection barely visible against the glass.
Lex didn't speak right away. He crossed the room slowly, stopping just short of the counter, letting the door swing shut behind him.
"If you wanted to have drinks at my place, Barnie, you should've called ahead."
Barnie's smirk reflected faintly in the glass, though he didn't turn around.
"I figured you'd appreciate the surprise."
Lex's fingers brushed against the edge of the marble counter, where his pistol rested—exactly where he left it.
But Barnie wasn't here to talk.
Lex could see it now—the slight gleam of the gun resting in Barnie's lap, his grip loose but deliberate.
"You never were the type to let things go, Lex," Barnie said quietly, tapping his fingers on the armrest. "That's what I liked about you."
Lex's gaze stayed fixed on him, calm and unreadable.
"Is that why you killed him?" Lex's voice was flat.
Barnie's eyes finally shifted, meeting Lex's reflection in the glass.
"Your father wasn't built for this life. You know that."
Lex's hand curled around the edge of the counter, tension knotting in his jaw.
"He could've walked away."
Barnie chuckled softly.
"He tried. But it's not that simple. You don't walk away from power. You don't leave the table until someone takes your seat."
Lex exhaled slowly, his pulse steady.
"And now it's my seat."
Barnie's smirk widened.
"Not for long."
The silence stretched.
Lex didn't look away when Barnie finally stood, the gun in his hand rising just enough to break the tension.
Lex didn't reach for his own.
He knew this moment was inevitable. Barnie never left loose ends.
But Lex wasn't afraid.
Not anymore.
The gunshot cracked through the penthouse like lightning.
Lex's body hit the marble with a dull thud, the warmth of the blood pooling beneath him spreading slowly across the floor.
Barnie watched him for a long moment, stepping forward until he towered over Lex's fading gaze.
"See, Lex?" Barnie's voice was soft, almost regretful. "You never understood when to quit. And you took your little friend down with you."
The world blurred, the edges of the penthouse flickering as Lex's breathing slowed.
His pulse faded. Regret.
Darkness swallowed him whole.