The Starlight Motel room felt even smaller once Arthur left to oversee the summit preparations at the St. Regis. The neon sign outside the window buzzed with an irritating, relentless hum.

Elara sat at the wobbly desk, ignoring the grime on the surface as she meticulously applied her makeup in a s

The grand ballroom of the Zenith Hotel was a masterclass in manufactured opulence. Crystal chandeliers the size of small cars dripped from the vaulted ceilings, casting a warm, golden glow over the three hundred venture capitalists, real estate tycoons, and high-society sycophants seated below. Wait

The silence in the grand ballroom was absolute, a suffocating vacuum that stretched for five agonizing seconds. Three hundred of the city’s most powerful investors stared at the massive fifty-foot forged document illuminated on the projector screen.

Arthur’s mouth opened and closed like a dying fi