Julian stumbled out of the VIP alcove and back into the blinding glare of the ballroom, looking like a man who had just survived a shipwreck only to realize he was stranded on a desert island.

The gala was in full swing, a roaring symphony of wealth and power, but Julian couldn't hear the music. A

The morning sun filtered through the floor-to-ceiling windows of L'Etoile, casting long, harsh shadows across the empty dining room. The chairs were stacked. The white linen tablecloths had been stripped away. On the front glass doors, taped securely from the inside, was the bright yellow notice of

The rain was a torrential downpour, drumming heavily against the reinforced glass of the penthouse suite at the Sterling-Vance Plaza. Inside, however, the world was insulated, quiet, and impossibly beautiful.

Clara stood before a full-length gilded mirror, the heavy silk of her wedding gown cascad