ble island. Chloe played her part to perfection. She adjusted t

the office," she sai

ning in to press a kiss to her forehead. "We'

l wife. She watched him walk to the door, list

car disappeared down the cypress-lined driveway. Th

omaly. A flicker of movement at the edge of the estate. The Bentley

old focus set

aircase to the second floor. She slipped into the library-one of the few rooms she was allowed to inha

brass, her fingers expert

tt Thorne. She was dressed impeccably for a day of shopping on Rodeo Drive. As the B

clinical. So, this was his cr

rity footage from the night before had already burned away the last of Chloe's illusions. There was no fresh w

ding across her face. She reached into the V-neck of her

un, flashing with a blin

a diamo

lens capturing the unmistakable flash of a custom cushion-cu

er weddi

placed it in their safe in the bedroom. Months later, when she mentioned wanting to wear it again, Julian had kissed he

betrayed their marriage bed. He had plundered her territory. He had stolen the p

idelity. It was a

re was no black rage, only an arctic calm-the kind of

ng the diamond in the visor mirror. A spoil of war. J

ready moving ten steps ahead. If he took the

the formidable safe hidden behind a painting. She punched in the code-Aidan's bir

tacks of cash and passports, her ey

ed it ope

ther contents of the safe. Jewelry. Property deeds. And

e Sincla

o-trustee, a concession Chloe had signed

yes, trained to process data at speed, scanned

o months ago. A seven-fig

ompany she didn't recognize:

Scarlett

. She bypassed the house Wi-Fi, opening an encrypted browser connected to a proxy netw

ults loaded in

C. Registered in Delaware. So

States Senator with an influential

mistress. The embezzled inher

nd darker than she had imagined. This wasn't a messy affair. This was a ho

iscalculation, though. He h

box, a dangerous, razor-sharp s