The Discarded Wife
a cold, aristocratic voice murmured through the receiver—a voice that carried the heavy, cultured weight of old European debt and absolute lawlessness.
"Alexander," Julian whispered frantically, his voice a desperate, cracking rasp as he clutched the phone to his ear. "It’s Julian. They’ve locked me out. Killian Cross, Jaxon, and Rhys Sterling—they’ve integrated the entire mainframe. They forced my biometric scan for the Red Vault."
A long, suffocating silence stretched over the satellite line. The faint sound of a lighter flicking open and the low hum of a luxury vehicle engine filtered through the static.