LOGINThe 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
Alicia's POV The building was ten minutes from the hotel. We didn’t speak in the car. I ran through the framework. Ownership structure. Rotterdam timeline. Enforcement protocols. Edward sat to my left, close enough that our shoulders nearly touched, and not a word passed between us the entire driv
Dubai watched me. Martens did the same. The third one tilted his head, like he had heard something he could not place. "Are you her lawyer?" Dubai asked. "No." "Then why do you know about the paperwork?" "I just." I breathed. "I am familiar with the situation." "Familiar," the third one repeate
This morning, the Riverside Convention Center felt different. Alive. I stood in the back corridor leading to the main exhibition hall, listening to voices filter through the walls. Press setting up equipment. Staff doing final checks on lighting and sound. Ten minutes until the briefing. Elena a
Alicia's POV The automatic doors whooshed open and I stepped through before I could talk myself out of it. Warmth rolled over me first, tangible as the floor beneath my feet. Then the layered smell, fresh espresso slicing through vanilla and the musty sweetness of old paper. The kind of smell that
While I'd been trying to figure out how to get her to come back to a life she'd already decided wasn't worth staying for. She'd been building this. Something that didn’t need a single thing from me. I kept scrolling. Found photos from a site visit. Alicia standing with two regional coordinators.
Alicia's POV The Riverside Convention Center seemed bigger than the day I was there. I lingered in the main entrance, looking up at vaulted ceilings that disappeared into steel beams and glass panels. Afternoon light poured through in geometric patterns across polished concrete floors. Mark appea







