Chaos erupted in the Dubai auditorium.

Hundreds of investors, royalty, and global real estate developers began shouting all at once. The translation headsets crackled with a dozen different languages, all conveying the same sentiment: outrage, confusion, and disgust.

Julian Vance spun around, hi

One month later.

The mediation room in the basement of the Manhattan courthouse was sterile, windowless, and smelled faintly of floor wax and stale coffee. The fluorescent lights buzzed with a low, irritating hum.

Julian Vance sat at the cheap laminate table, staring at his hands.

He looked te