Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 21 - Chapitre 23

The knock came three days later, in the gap between morning and the version of morning where anything more was expected of her.Sophia had just gotten Leo into his shoes-the left one always fighting her, always half a size too proud for its own good-when the buzzer sounded downstairs. Not the postman's short, apologetic press. A long, deliberate hold, like someone testing how patient the building was."Are we expecting anyone?" she called toward the bedroom, where she could hear the low drag of a suitcase zipper. Alexander had a call with the barristers in an hour, the last loose thread of the Kingston liquidation, and he'd been quiet all morning in the particular way that meant he was rehearsing what he'd say to people who used to answer to him."No." He appeared in the doorway already frowning, tucking a phone into his pocket. "No one has this address."The buzzer sounded again. Longer this time.Sophia crossed to the intercom, Leo trailing behind her with one shoe on, and pressed t

Elena was already at the table, coat still on, scrolling through her phone."You came alone." She didn't look up right away. "I half expected you to bring the architect as backup.""She's not backup. She's not part of this.""Mm." Elena set the phone face-down and finally looked at him. "She's part of everything now, from what I've seen."A waiter came. She ordered for both of them without asking, the way she used to. Alexander almost said something about it, then didn't, because it wasn't worth the opening sentence it would need."Name it," he said instead. "The number.""You're in a hurry.""I have somewhere to be.""You have a train set to finish, you mean." She said it without much bite, more like she was testing whether it would land. It didn't, not the way she wanted, and she moved past it. "2 million. And a favor.""What favor.""I haven't decided yet.""Then it's not on the table. I'm not signing anything open-ended, Elena.""God, you used to just say yes to things." She rolle