passenger seat o

a hard, deliberate click, the air suddenly thick

ossession, a gesture of ca

ienna's loud style did not

of window, letting his voice beco

mind drifted back to the blo

ambushed me in a n

then, but he had slaughtere

oodstained fingers, a gesture of comfort

ise so I would have the power to w

mpatiently on the steering wheel, and this simple o

ain was the only sound that disturbed the air u

io to shoot content for my

ighting, the familiar ritual a small a

oor was violent

ithout knocking, the intrusion a phy

e doorframe and openl

ould look twice at a pathetic

lic taste fi

of my space, my

the room at the soun

reprimand h

led Sienna aw

xcuse about how she was just st

ess, unpunished transgression

espoke samples and

ced zero c

coldly asked if he eve

irritation tightening t

et, his brow furrowed as he stared at the

ed my number be kept on a separate, muted channel for "sec

it in person," he added, a

studio followed us to th

table as if she ow

daciously proposed a hostile takeo

ts. "Let me take over the company," she said, her voice dripping with

ip me of my work, and leave me

voice comp

rtion attempt witho

ce darkened

rm around Fabiano's neck and beginning

diately drop

her plate

every single scallion with

che seize

e Syndicate ban

iggering a severe allergic react

ing, Fabiano had told me

wn my si

unshed tears, but my

falling into the space between the cl

ing him and severing

, hovering over Sienna's plat

e was its

had already become a ghost in his ey