st night clung to her like a second skin, but beneath it, the cold realization from the hotel penthouse still burned: he had known exactly who she was, what Kenneth had done, before she'd even w

e West Village. The rear door opened, and Garnet slid in beside her.

you want

ice wa

r are you trying to use

d the brownst

said. A simple, u

t's absurd. We met less than twelve hou

head, his dark eyes

long, a

bleached hair fanned across the pillows, the words Aethelgard formula clear as a bell in the audio. The breath hitched in her throat. Her blood r

his voice flat, "I used your fingerprint

sparked a fres

ad no

situation. You have leverage over

his voice a cons

alone, can win against the h

ld and heavy. He was right. Kenneth would bury he

l help you destroy them. We'll turn their engagement party

le's data is useless without your biological key, isn't it? Kenneth has no idea. Dia

he moment she pressed record in Kenneth's h

otect that key. And us

ts' company. The formula.

s on the leather sea

have anot

the previous night surfaced-the heat

the fight was gone, replaced by a cold resolve. T

eth's hotel suite. "Diandra. Her vanity is her weakness. If we leak those photos and the hot

sh of approval in

o

l. She'll hand over her phone, and I'll get every

t smile spread ac

nst her. We're going to make sure she's publicl

piece of social sabotage. As she listened, a sliver

t and produced a new smartphone, still in its box, along with her old phone-screen

"Your old phone is compromised. I'm keeping it-let Kenneth think you're sti

le, heavier than the Patek Philippe box she'

ss she had initiated. This was a kiss of ownership. A branding. It was deep, demanding, and left her breathless. She didn't lean into

, his eyes dar

red against her lips

and sandalwood bitter on her tongue. Not a promise. A threa

, no Diandra's laughter, just the ghost of Garnet's kiss on her lips. She unboxed the phone, transferred only her contacts, and stared at the blank

lready sliding into the mask of the fool