Morning broke over the city in a wash of pale gold, casting long shadows across the glass walls of Silas’s penthouse. Harper woke with a start, her cheek pressed against the soft velvet of the sofa cushions. The storm had passed, leaving behind a crisp, silent dawn.

She was alone on the couch, but

The ride to the arts district was charged with a crackling, electric tension. Harper sat in the back of the Maybach, staring out the tinted windows as the familiar streets blurred past.

She was dressed for war. She wore a tailored, crimson power suit that fit her like a second skin, paired with ra

The heavy, soundproof door of the Maybach closed with a definitive thud, shutting out the bustling city noise and the chaotic aftermath of Vanessa’s spectacular meltdown. The tinted windows wrapped them in a cocoon of rich leather and dim, amber lighting.

For a long moment, the only sound in the b