The helicopter hovered just a hundred feet above the loading dock, its twin engines drowning out Chloe’s panicked shrieks. The blinding spotlight kept Julian and Chloe pinned like insects on a display board. The crowd of line cooks and waitstaff had backed up against the brick walls, shielding their

The heavy, water-resistant parchment of the eviction notice slipped from Julian Hayes's trembling fingers, landing with a soft, pathetic slap against the wet asphalt of the alleyway. The rain had begun to drizzle again, catching in the glow of the security lights, but nobody moved for cover. The cro

"You own them?" Julian repeated, his voice cracking on the final syllable. A nervous, dismissive laugh bubbled out of his throat, high-pitched and hollow. "Elena, you're not making any sense. You're a prep cook. You chop my carrots. You reduce my stocks. I am the one who developed the *L'Aura* signa