Ariella’s POVI didn’t sleep. Not even an hour. My night was raw, fractured by jagged thoughts. All I could see was the fire I’d sparked underneath Damon’s empire, burning bright behind my eyes.By 5:00 a.m. I dressed in a black turtleneck, flat shoes, and gloves—shadows for armor, not fashion. I ghosted through the penthouse, each step silent, deliberate. At the burner, the message glowed with unease:“Thorne House Archive. East Wing. 9:30 a.m. He’s clearing records. You need to get in first.” I read the lines many times, stared at the words until they branded themselves into my mind.I’d planned to wait. Collect, analyze, strike later.But this? This was an opportunity clawing at my window.I replied with one word.“Going.”At 8:45 a.m., I nestled my car under a sycamore two blocks from the Thorne estate. The East Wing, absent on blueprints, still lived sharp in my memory: once a forgotten storehouse, now a vault swaddled in pretense. The world saw an art gallery, all cool marble an
Last Updated : 2025-09-09 Read more