The crystal chandeliers of the Grand Palais bathed the ballroom in a warm, golden luminescence, casting fractured rainbows across the imported marble floors. A string quartet played a delicate Vivaldi piece in the corner, though the music was nearly drowned out by the clinking of champagne flutes an

The morning sun filtered through the massive arched windows of the Laurent estate, illuminating the dust motes that danced in the quiet library. Serena sat in a high-backed leather chair, a cup of Earl Grey tea cooling on the mahogany desk in front of her. She was reviewing the latest quarterly proj

The sky over Paris broke open just past noon, mirroring the absolute devastation that had swallowed Julian Thorne.

What began as a heavy, oppressive mist quickly turned into a torrential downpour. The rain fell in sheets, washing over the wrought-iron gates of the Laurent estate, turning the grave