The brilliant, oceanic glow of the 'Tear of the Empress' bathed the grim, concrete walls of the basement workshop in an ethereal blue light. For a long, breathless moment, the only sound in the room was the hum of the ventilation system and the ragged, panicked breathing of Julian Thorne, who remain

The absolute finality of Serena’s words hung in the stale basement air, heavier than the chemical fumes of the forgery workshop.

Julian Thorne stared at the smartphone in Serena’s trembling hands as if it were a venomous snake preparing to strike. His chest heaved, his breath whistling through his

The heavy, suffocating silence that followed Victor's declaration was broken only by the sharp, rhythmic clicking of tactical boots on the concrete floor. The SWAT officers moved with practiced, lethal efficiency, their flashlights cutting through the haze of aerosolized chemicals and ceramic dust t