The basement laboratory of Vance Innovations was a sensory deprivation chamber compared to the opulent executive suites above. There were no windows, no marble floors, and no natural light—only the hum of server racks and the harsh glare of dual monitors. For five years, this had been Clara’s gilded

The penthouse lab at Thorne Capital was a temple of modern architecture, suspended high above the glittering grid of the city. Unlike the claustrophobic, windowless basement Julian had shoved her into at Vance Innovations, Damian’s private sanctuary was a sprawling expanse of floor-to-ceiling glass,

The fluorescent lights of the Vance Innovations basement lab buzzed with a sickly, relentless hum. It was a stark, depressing contrast to the midnight elegance of Damian’s penthouse, but Clara welcomed the sterile environment. It made it easier to disassociate. It made it easier to play the part.

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