The silence in the grand ballroom was absolute. It was the kind of heavy, suffocating quiet that precedes a catastrophic implosion. The flashing of camera bulbs was the only movement in the room as the elite culinary world processed the leather-bound book in Elena’s hands.

Julian looked like he wa

The grand ballroom of the culinary gala was a symphony of destruction, and Elena Vance was the conductor walking away from the crescendo.

Behind her, the shrieks of ruined investors and the frantic clamor of the press corps echoed off the vaulted ceilings. Flashbulbs strobed like a lightning storm

The private elevator of the Vanguard Holdings tower opened silently, revealing the sprawling expanse of Elena’s penthouse office. Floor-to-ceiling windows offered a 360-degree panoramic view of the glittering city skyline—a city that she, in large part, owned.

Elena stepped out of the elevator, th