The headquarters of Vance Real Estate Group occupied the top three floors of a sleek, glass-and-steel skyscraper in the heart of San Francisco’s financial district. The interior was a monument to Julian’s ego—acres of polished white marble, brushed chrome accents, and floor-to-ceiling windows that o

The digital clock on the microwave glowed a harsh, neon green in the pitch-black kitchen: *1:14 AM.*

Clara sat perfectly still on a tall stool at the marble island, the expansive first floor of her home completely swallowed by shadows. The sprawling Vance estate, usually a beacon of warmth and luxu

The morning sun poured through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the kitchen, casting bright, cheerful beams across the white marble countertops. It was a beautiful, crisp morning, the kind of day Clara’s son would have begged to spend in the garden, searching for earthworms and building forts in the