MasukMy office is usually the safest place in Monaco.Not because of high-end security or bulletproof doors. Just because in here, everything has shape. Lines. Measurements. Numbers. Italian marble is Italian marble. An ugly chandelier is simply ugly. A know-it-all client can still be defeated with a thirty-slide PDF and a cold enough tone.Today, even this room feels like skin that’s too tight.I walked in fast, tossed my bag onto the little sofa by the window, and went straight to my desk. The computer was already on. The screen showed the Cannes hotel lobby render—travertine walls, cream sofas, a sculptural light fixture that cost as much as a small car and maybe one therapist.I stared at it for a long moment.Then sat.Then sipped my coffee.It was cold.“Perfect,” I told the cup. “I love when everything in my life arrives at the wrong temperature.”The office door cracked open a quarter of the way, and Daniella slipped in with a tablet and a folder, her hair thrown into a messy bun t
The Monte Carlo sky was way too blue for the amount of drama waiting underneath it.Our black car glided down the boulevard toward the French Academy. The street was still relatively quiet; just a few SUVs and sedans heading toward the preschool.I was driving, one hand on the wheel, the other wrapped around my coffee tumbler. Hazel sat in the passenger seat, oversized sunglasses covering half her face even though the sun wasn’t fully awake yet. In the backseat, the world was falling apart.“Too tight! Auntie, I’m not a chicken!” Poppy protested, voice climbing half an octave.Rhea groaned. “Hold still for two seconds, general, or your ponytail’s going to lean like my life.”I glanced at the rearview mirror.Poppy sat in her car seat, the straps already fastened, her little body tilted because Rhea was half-climbing over from the side, both hands buried in Poppy’s long hair. Her bangs fell over her eyes, blocking half her view, but doing absolutely nothing to reduce the number of comp
I leaned back against the headboard, bare feet on the duvet, my thin cream silk pajamas already torn a little at the sleeve, no idea when that happened. The laptop sat closed beside me, Montreux documentation abandoned.Hazel and Rhea were now in their respective guest rooms. The last thing I’d heard was them debating whether eating cheese was healthier or if surrendering to a beautiful death was the better choice. Salma had left two hours ago, the house remaining in a status I’d call “relatively not on fire.”I took a long breath and closed my eyes for a moment. I could still smell the faint white-floral perfume drifting in from the kitchen, even though the flowers were already buried in the trash. A ghost of an expensive scent. Annoying.My phone vibrated against my chest. My eyes opened.The name on the screen: Adrian. His profile photo was a candid, Poppy on his shoulders with a serious face, and him looking resigned but happy. Hazel had taken that picture, and now it lived rent-f
Night slipped down over a city too polished to have any real secrets. From the wide balcony on the top floor, the harbor lights scattered yellow streaks across the water. Yachts glowed like expensive toys on a rich kid’s shelf.The sliding doors had been left open. Salt air drifted in, mixing with the scent of wine, half-burned vanilla candles, and a thin curl of smoke from a cigarette in a glass ashtray.Poppy had passed out an hour ago after a long negotiation about how many bedtime stories were acceptable and whether a unicorn was allowed under the blanket. On a normal night, I’d be out too.Tonight wasn’t normal.Hazel lounged in a chair, her long legs propped on the armrest, one hand holding a wineglass, the other spinning an empty lighter between her fingers. Rhea sat on the floor with her back against the wall, her glass placed beside her knee, her hair tied up in a lazy knot.I stood near the railing, half leaning on it, one hand holding an unlit cigarette. The thing felt too
I lean my head back against the seat and let out a long breath, like my lungs are finally remembering their job. Monaco slides past the window in its annoying postcard version. Clean sidewalks. Glittering storefronts. Beautiful people carrying expensive coffee and polite little problems.I close my eyes.Poppy’s face comes first.Messy bangs. Maple-syrup mouth, even though she hadn’t had any. “MOMMY SAID I WIN.”Then those cold blue eyes.Then the silence in the conference room.Shit.“If Sebastian asks a single question about my kid,” I say, still not opening my eyes, “I will burn Monaco to the ground and call it a yacht accident. I’m serious, Dan.”Daniella turns her head, studies me for two seconds, then nods with an expression so solemn it could be carved into stone. “Noted,” she says. “I’ll prep the alibi.”I open one eye and look at her.She gives a tiny shrug. “If we’re committing crimes, we still have to be organized.”A snort escapes me, something almost like a laugh, almost
“Mommyyyy—”Poppy’s voice is still loud, full of demands and imaginary maple syrup.I force my lungs to work, pull my smile back into place. “Just eat the waffle,” I say that too quickly. “Whatever you want. But brush your teeth first. Now.”Poppy beams at the camera like she’s won a constitutional battle. “I knew Mommy loves me the most,” she declares before yelling over her shoulder, “AUNTIE HAZEL, MOMMY SAID I WIN!”In the frame, Hazel raises her coffee mug with the expression of someone betrayed by her own country. Rhea appears from the other side, patting Poppy’s head gently while half-asleep.“Love you, Mommy,” Poppy says, pressing her nose too close to the camera.“Love you too.”Poppy hits something at random.The screen goes black.I place the phone on the table, face-down, moving slowly. My fingers are cold.Luc gives a warm smile, utterly unaware that he just witnessed a grenade go off. “Well,” he says with a shrug. “The most honest negotiation we’ve had this morning.”I le







