The Thorne mansion was a hive of frantic, meticulously controlled activity. Tonight was the annual Thorne Real Estate Acquisitions gala, a high-profile corporate dinner that Julian hosted every year to secure investors and intimidate rivals. For the past three years, Clara had been the invisible arc

The digital clock on the bedside table read 4:13 A.M. when Clara Vance finally pressed the 'Confirm' button on her encrypted banking portal.

In the dim, blue glow of her laptop screen, a loading wheel spun for three agonizing seconds before a green checkmark appeared. *Transfer Successful.*

Clar

The morning sun filtered through the massive glass panes of the estate’s sunroom, casting long, geometric shadows across the drafting table Clara had set up in the corner.

This room used to be her sanctuary. Before she had become the invisible wife of a billionaire, Clara Vance had been a rising s