Elena's POVBy nine o'clock the penthouse had settled into the particular quiet of a household that knew tomorrow was coming and had collectively decided that pretending otherwise was less useful than simply being present for the hours that remained.Lucas had left at seven. He had shaken Damian's hand on the way out, which had become a ritual between them, brief and mutual and slightly formal in the way of two people who respected each other and were still establishing the terms of that respect.Damian had watched him go and said nothing, which was progress.I was in the kitchen when my phone rang.Natalie.I answered immediately."The facility investigation found the active program," she said without preamble. "All three participants have been contacted and informed. Payments have been frozen. The routing account has been traced.""To who," I said.A pause that had the weight of something she had been sitting with for longer than tonight."A law firm," she said. "Not Victoria's. A d
Last Updated : 2026-05-10
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