“They will be auctioned off to a designated buyer next week,” Arthur said.

“A buyer that I control,” Arthur added.

“And you want me to run them,” I said, walking up to stand beside him.

“I want you to manage the public face of the entire operation,” Arthur said.

“The shipping lines, the real estate, the political connections,” Arthur said.

“You have the sharpest mind for strategy I have ever seen,” Arthur said.

“Together, we can rewrite the rules of this city,” Arthur added.

“And if I say no?” I asked, looking up into his dark, calculating eyes.

“Then you take your money and you leave,” Arthur said without hesitation.

“You can buy a house in the south of France and never think of me again,” Arthur said.

“But I think you would be bored within a month,” Arthur added.

I looked down at the empty ballroom, then out through the tall glass windows.

The skyline of Manhattan stretched out before us, a glittering mountain of steel and light.

For the first time in my life, I did not feel like a pawn being moved across a board.