ella

smile on Clara's face

rigid jerk, she walked over to the crystal decanter on the side table and poured herself a glass of brandy. Her h

iquid. "I hear the great Damien Franco prefers the company of singers to his own wi

weaponizing my husband's public indifference. But she was playing a

my voice perfectly level, smooth as silk. "I ha

ence stretch until it became suffocating. "And unlike you, I do

hook violently, the brandy sloshing over the rim of the glass and dripping onto

lass down harshly, backing toward the heavy mahogany doors as if the air in my parlor had sudd

, my words slicing through the room like a straight r

, the heavy doors slam

ast life and the meticulous intelligence gathered by my mother's loyal servant, Mrs. Reid. I didn't have the physical ledgers of Clara's collusion wi

suffocating tension settl

a, my young maid, brushed my hair. Her hands were trembling so

th unshed tears as she quickly pulled the brush away. She k

glancing toward the hallway. What I didn't know-what Sofia was too paralyzed by the absolute la

he warehouse district, loudly and publicly inspecting the properties still under my name. It was a blatant provocation in the heart of O'Bannon territory.

West Loop could burn us all alive. But fear of my brother

aid quietly, noticing a

room. I was left alone in t