LOGIN“You entered without cause,” I said. “You stayed without one.” “I don’t know what this is between you two but—” “My wife.” No variation in tone. No additional weight needed. Alicia’s hand lifted a little, then halted mid-motion and settled again without completing the gesture. The woman exhaled
Edward’s POV “Forty thousand. Do I have forty-five?” The paddle was already raised. Alicia’s hand remained under mine, unchanged in position, as though neither of us had adjusted to its presence since it settled there. “Forty-five.” I raised. “Fifty. Fifty-five.” On the left, a man leaned forw
The fifth lot began. Edward moved to speak to someone at the side of the room. I watched the auctioneer. She crossed the room toward him. He turned when she spoke. She laughed. It had worked before, that laugh. I scanned the sixth lot. Mixed media, authenticated 2019, provenance verified. Her h
Alicia's POV Volkov was already at the door when we came in. His eyes went to my dress and came back up. Lazily. He turned to Edward, and they shook hands. It ran a half-second longer than it needed. "You both came," he said. "You invited us," Edward said. "I invite many people. They don't alwa
Edward's POV He still thinks he came here for the meeting. The room absorbed it. Nobody spoke. Alicia studied the table. Volkov’s attention stayed on her, patient, certain of the space he occupied. I picked up my water glass. Drank. Set it down. He leaned forward. "What I bring isn't only cap
"Two weeks," he said. "Who handled it?" "Me." He looked at me steadily. "You built a structure to reduce dependence on any single person. And the first time it was tested." "I was there and it needed handling." "You're always there." His eyes moved to Edward and back. "That’s what I’m trying to
Edward's POV Margaret Chen's office sat on the forty-third floor of a building I'd walked past thousand times without ever entering. Minimalist in the way only people with real power could afford to be. No awards on the walls. No family photos. Just floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking midtown and
Alicia's POV The office was quieter than it had any right to be. High enough that the city looked unreal. Corner suite. Windows overlooking a slice of downtown I'd never paid attention to before. The kind of quiet that came from thick walls and expensive construction, the kind that made every smal
Twenty minutes later, I was in my car, moving through Manhattan with no destination. That was a lie. I hadn’t planned it consciously, but my hands knew where they were going. Muscle memory. Habit. Instinct I hadn’t broken yet. Twenty-five minutes after leaving the estate, I pulled over half a blo
Alicia's POV The kitchen smelled like butter and warmth. I’d started baking before dawn, my hands working from memory. Rolling dough. Cutting circles. Lining them up on the sheets. The kind of work that kept my mind quiet. Elena sat at the counter with her laptop open, attention split between wh







