ockstep, their presence alone enough to silence the crowd. One of

rage. "This little cheat! She scammed me - five hundred dollars for a five-million-dollar t

fted uncomfortably. In the Blackwood District, "mak

had served old money long enough to know that composure was its own weapon. "Sir, the transaction was completed wi

my coin still visible in her palm. His partner raised a hand to the collar of his uni

hone. His voice was low, unhurried, carrying the weight of absolute

gh his earpiece. His eyes flickered - a micro-expression of sur

ransaction

Sweat glistened on his upper lip

ugh him like a blade through paper. "That is the iron law of

reed, hot and irrational, pushed him forward one more time. "It's fraud

s. It wasn't loud, but it carri

ermined by knowledge. You looked at treasure and saw trash. You named your price. You took my money." She tilted her he

ng soundlessly. A few snickers rippled through the crowd - quiet, nervous, but unm

parted, and the

nging judge walked through the human corridor, escorted by a market manager. His suit w

a breath. "Julian Hayes. The st

e was final. When he spoke on authenticity, the argument ended. His word carried

easured nod. "Mr. Hoffman. I understand th

the coin in Julian's outstretched pal

his thumb across its corroded surface. The silence in the hall was absolute

uine 'Venus of the Sea.' An exceptionally well-preserved specimen. Market value is between five and seven mill

mer had

His knees buckled. He collapsed to the ground, his skin the color of death, his fing

y Kowalski. For violating market law and attempting extortion of a completed transaction, the judgment is as follows

els, his voice cracking into something barely human. "No - no,

they began dragging him across the concrete floor toward the punishment room at the back of the shelter. His screams echoed

, they held something new. Not pity. Not curiosity. Awe. The quiet, unsettled awe

ntion - June's expression never changed. Her face was still water over deep cu

gestured to Barnaby. The butler produced a tablet and completed the five-

glanced at the screen - five million, deposited

relief. "My dear girl, the thanks are entirely mine. Please - would you join me for dinner? Ther

ave this place, to breathe air that didn't smell of dust a

ng to a murmur meant only for his butler. "

ket, said nothing. But his exp

cold air of the grimy alley when a shout split the silence behin

ipped

bove his eye. One of the attackers had already snatched the polished wooden box from Theodore's hands. They were fast - tr

olor, then shifted to a frightening, mottled blue. He clawed at his collar, gaspin

s narrowed

at made a mockery of her seventeen years. One heartbeat she was standing still. The next she was a blur in the di

chair rolled back and hit the wall. His face had gone dark

his voice a whip crack. "Now, damn it - i

adset. But Jase's eyes never left the screen - the screen that showed a teenage girl cuttin