ien'

in a dark, eerie shadow. The

r my feet. Cobwebs hung everywhere, sticking to my face as I pa

floors were marble, now dirty and scratched. The walls had fancy moldings, though the pa

dar wood. I ran my fingers along the panels until I felt a

nd there was a quiet click. Then, t

the moonlight. State-of-the-art. Th

s in anticipation, the backdoor sequences only Blackwood exe

widened

completely fu

door. Of course. Serena had known we'd find this.

a.m. as I pulled out my phone, illuminating

e was clean. She played

nstantly. "Then you'll pl

urtains, soaking through my coat within seconds. My driver leapt to open the

block, headlights

k Maybach purred at the curb, her smirk v

car's heat making my soaked clothe

ng me a tablet, "I don't brea

a in a lab coat, demonstrating something to a room full of investors. My gut twisted at

amp. "While you were chasing ghosts, she wa

schematic behind

. "Complete with our proprietary neural interface. She's

umbers didn't lie, at this rate, Vaughn Innovations would

ria murmured, applying lipstick in

. "We're no

does Serena's lead engineer suddenly have a S

fell s

t meant. Eleanor had

downpour. Through the rain, I caught a glimpse of the Vaughn

. Built with my

ll this off? I wondered.

aze. "Still think she'

facade, and for a split second, I swore I saw a silho

ess swallo

's estate. Eleanor's st

ledger, the ancient book spread across her desk like a corpse on an autopsy table. "Fir

stion weighing my bones. "The safe wa

ile you were rummaging through closets like some common thief, she was hosting investors!" Her icy g

ed. Serena's humble origins had alw

armchair. "We could always leak

e word came out shar

ebrow arched

edger entry dated five years back. "Dad approved th

shut. "Because you're going to retrie

os of Serena's daily routine. Her gym. Her favorite cafe.

ught. "She's

tner. They're working on some fertility AI." She tapped

an Cole leaving the same clinic, his coat pocket

eeth. "Seems your wife's been

matched. The stolen tech. The sudden funding. The way Ser

sn't re

oddamn mas

st terrify

n so turned o