The hissing of the static was the loudest sound Clara Vance had ever heard.

It filled the luxurious, sprawling emptiness of the penthouse, a relentless wave of white noise that clawed at her newly awakened eardrums. She stared at the laptop screen, the glowing red words *Connection Lost* burning i

Julian Vance’s hand slashed through the air.

The slap echoed sharply across the penthouse bedroom, a vicious crack of flesh on flesh. The force of the blow threw Clara off balance, sending her crashing onto the edge of the mattress. Her cheek burned with a fierce, stinging heat, and the metallic t

The high-pitched wail of audio feedback slowly died away, leaving a ringing in the ears of every elite guest, board member, and reporter in the VanceTech ballroom. The silence that followed was absolute, suffocating, and heavy with anticipation.

Clara Vance brought the microphone to her lips, look