The rain came down in sheets, hammering against the reinforced glass of Clara’s penthouse apartment. It was a torrential, unforgiving New York storm, the kind that turned the streets into black rivers and washed the city clean of its grime.

Inside, Clara’s sanctuary was warm, silent, and impenetra

The executive suite of Thorne Empire looked like the site of a natural disaster.

Papers were scattered across the floor like fallen leaves. The massive digital stock ticker mounted on the wall flashed a relentless, angry red, the numbers plummeting lower with every passing second. The phones on th

The rain lashed against the floor-to-ceiling windows of Clara Vance’s new penthouse office. Unlike the gaudy, gold-leafed monstrosity Julian had designed for himself at Thorne Empire, Clara’s sanctuary at Aura House was a study in monochromatic power. Charcoal slate, brushed steel, and flawless whit