She found a deserted alcove near a row of vending machines, the synthetic smell of stale c

w across the encrypted browser, her movements precise and economical. She logged into a network th

the sound of his voice, the professional, brutal efficiency of his attack. She cross-referen

code and redacted files. Her finger tappe

result was a single, frust

se whispers she could find, was a ghost. No digital

er her. She snapped the browser close

. Kn

rrying towards her, a nervous sweat beading on his forehead. His entire demeanor had chan

bling slightly. "Your mother's acco

rred not from the main Knight family trust, but from a discreet offshore account, one so dee

elinda's doin

Her husband.

. The man who was suppose

at was

And the only place to get them was at the heart of the viper's n

d flickering lights. She emerged into the crisp Manhattan night, the air thick with the smell of exhaust and r

cameras, and made her way to the service entrance in the back al

me, Elise Buckley, wouldn't be on any

a tuxedo intercepted her. "You! You're late!" he snapped, not even look

iform into her arms. "Get changed. Now. The

d already turned his attention to yelling at a busbo

move freely, to listen, to observe. It was a be

or the first time that night. "Okay,"

ell enough. She twisted her long hair into a tight, severe bun, securing it with the two black hairpi

r tray laden with flutes of champagne into her hands. "Ballroom

She pushed open the heavy, gilded do

hummed with the meaningless chatter of Manhattan's elite. Wall Street predators an

nses were on high alert, cataloging faces, snippets of conversation, the subtle shifts in power dynamics.

ht, Holt's father, stood there, laughing with a senator. Other family member

s words slurring as he demanded a re

ray to neatly block his hand as it tried to slide around her waist. He scowled, a

lative safety of the shadows behind a large marble column.

caught her eye. A fam

a circle of impeccably dressed wome

ntending to disappear thr

nda's sharp eyes had alre

d by the room's acoustics, cut through the ambien

icinity turned. The

her eyes for a single, fleeting moment, then