The rain began to fall just as Victoria’s chauffeured car pulled through the wrought-iron gates of the Sterling Estate. The sprawling, three-story limestone mansion sat on two acres of prime real estate in the city's most exclusive zip code. For eight years, it had been a sanctuary. Now, it was a cr

The Starlight Motel smelled aggressively of industrial bleach and stale cigarette smoke, a combination that made Elara Thorne gag the moment she stepped through the door.

"Arthur, there is literally black mold on the ceiling," Elara said, her voice entirely stripped of its usual honeyed, wellness-

Mr. Harrison’s hand hovered over the mute button. He pressed it down, severing the audio feed so Arthur couldn't hear them. He looked at Victoria, his face pale.

"I have to flag this as federal fraud right now, Victoria. He just impersonated your authorization."

"Not yet," Victoria said, her voic