ear, Sloane sat in the deafening silence of the town car. The crown is substantial. The words were a taunt, like a key turning in a lock that she

. For now, the board was dozing off. The tense moment at the event had not yet been b

oor in the private garage closed behind her.

Sloane brought the phone to her ear a

blood ran cold when Cassidy's voice, which had been

walked across the spacious living room of her condominium, tossing he

Ventures logo was spinning dramatically next to him. " Rhett Kingman's venture fund recently made an unso

's closing price. According to analysts, it is one of the decade's most aggressive plays and a direct challenge to Sloane Prescott's leadership. On the screen, the numbers

he quiet condominium. Then her second phone, the board's cell pho

r Prescott Global, PGH. In a terrifying, real-time freefall, the figures fell. With each tick

r leaving that gala, he had turned to face her and

Cassidy's voice sounded tinny. "Sloane? Are you pr

interrupted, her vo

essed a woman in a silver gown standing by herself in a cage worth millions

er, somethi

or. An intense, untamed rush. The language she knew was this one. Not ghosts from the pas

us smile. It was a disagreeable expression.

ts downward sli

had only just beg