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

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