The Jacob K. Javits Convention Center was a roaring sea of light, glass, and thousands of industry elites. The Global Fragrance Expo was the single most important event of the year for the cosmetics and perfume world. It was where empires were built, fortunes were traded, and trends were dictated fo

The new corporate headquarters of Aura House occupied the entire top floor of a glass-and-steel high-rise in Midtown Manhattan. It was everything Thorne Empire was not. Where Julian had insisted on heavy black marble, suffocating velvet curtains, and gaudy gold fixtures designed to scream wealth, Cl

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