LOGINThe auctioneer's cadence moved through the wall. I had built something without him. That was still true. It would stay true. Whatever I said next didn't touch it. "I don't know," I said. "That's the honest answer. Not the managed version." I met his gaze. "I don't know if what's left is enough to
Alicia's POV The older man was still talking. "Seven years," he said. "Four jurisdictions. We moved water infrastructure across borders that hadn't spoken to each other in a generation." His hands traced corridors in the air between us. "The archive is the proof it happened. That it worked." He tu
“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
"Targeted." I kept my voice even. "Just me." She didn't answer. "Why?" "The decision came from executive coordination." I watched her face. The way her eyes wouldn't quite meet mine. "What does that mean?" I asked. "It means the directive was finalized at a senior level." "Which level?" She
Alicia's POV The morning was ordinary. Elena drove. I watched the city pass—buses stopping at corners, someone hosing down a storefront, a woman shouting into her phone. We pulled into the Vesper & Lane lot just after eight. Elena parked and grabbed her bag. "Design review at nine," she said. "
I turned the key. The engine came alive under my hands. I didn’t think about where I was going. I just drove. The city moved past me. Buildings. Traffic lights. People crossing streets as if their lives weren’t falling apart. Mine was. I just wasn’t ready to admit it. My phone sat dark in the cup
"I know! Isn't it brilliant?" Elena made a noise from her desk. Something between a laugh and a groan. "Brilliant is not the word I'd use," I said. "You just don't get avant-garde marketing." He said it seriously. Like this was a real tragedy. "You're absolutely right. I don't." He grinned. "Th







