The entire ballroom, filled with hundreds of shouting, frantic people, fell completely, paralyzingly dead silent.

It was a silence so profound, so thick with shock, that the faint hum of the venue’s air conditioning sounded like a jet engine. For three agonizing seconds, no one breathed. The report

The financial news anchors could barely keep up with the teleprompter.

*"...unprecedented collapse. Shares in Croft Luxury have plummeted ninety-four percent at the opening bell, effectively wiping out the company's market capitalization in less than two hours. Trading has been halted multiple tim

"Ms. Hayes, look this way!"

"Clara, over here! Just one more photo!"

The flashbulbs were a blinding, relentless storm, but for the first time in her life, Clara Hayes didn't flinch. She didn't shrink back, and she certainly didn't look for a shadow to disappear into.

She stood at the center of t