The elevator doors chimed, sliding open to reveal the top floor of Croft-Sterling Enterprises. For the last three years, this floor had been Vivienne Croft’s sanctuary, her war room, and her undisputed domain. Today, it felt like occupied territory.

Before she even rounded the corner to the execut

The descent to the ground floor felt agonizingly slow. Inside the glass-walled elevator, Vivienne stood rigid, her mind racing through a hundred different calculations. Julian stood beside her, his presence a steady, impenetrable wall of calm.

"He triggered it," Vivienne repeated, keeping her voic

The holding room was a masterclass in psychological discomfort. The walls were painted a sickly, institutional beige, and the fluorescent lights hummed with a manic, flickering energy that drilled directly into Vivienne Croft’s skull. She sat on a metal bench bolted to the linoleum floor, her postur