"Not even when the prize is your band? Your lover? Your son?"

He takes another leisurely drink and lets Greg think about that for a few moments. When he finishes, he seems to have shed the tension of Naomi's mention entirely.

"You're clever enough to have guessed that being 'fired' is more than its traditional implications. You've likely seen my opinion of some of your associates in that regard. You're a fool if you don't believe that Lesedi is considering the same fate for 'Steven', and she is much more spiteful than I."