pte

of t

like a live wire, humming with the voltage of everything she'd tried to forget. Her father's face, younger, colder, standing besi

race doors, with champagne laughter, designer heels scrubbing marble, and crystal glasses clinking. However, to Camille, it all

an who could now, with a single whisper, destroy her world. And her sister's husband? Camille had warned her. Had begged her not to rush into that union. Bu

ing it, but knew better. This was manipulation. It wasn't

errace. She was shocked by her reflection in the window because she resembled her grievin

aged in silences and invitations declined. Names were mentioned and favors were

uared her shoulders, and stepped inside,

and shadow by the ballroom.

now understood, cou

accomplice who knows both her public and private live

very's personality, relationship

ent (centered around Camille dragging

arises, as Avery begins to

a tendency to chew her thumbnails when nervous, she was the dependable shadow to Camille's dazzling light. Where Camille moved th

herself in. That friendship developed into a contract at some point, though the terms were rarely discussed publicly. Avery knew both of Camille's worlds. The respectable one, with her high-profile PR firm job, designer clothes, and calm smile. And the

e said, after admitting to blackmailing a senator. "I'm a

phones, removed metadata from emails, and invented alibis that walked and talked like the truth. It felt like applying forensics to fiction, and Avery was damn good at it. Howeve

with a knock

ompanied by wine, like a gust of wind. This time, she knocked three times. Deliberate.

top," Camille sai

re you, Avery? It'

d past her, shedding her coa

blinked

n Mercer. The lawyer. I think

ally was Mercer. He was a man who had too much knowledge and asked the wrong questions. C

e's trying to fram

A video exists. A deepfake. It shows

lt her mouth go dry. This was different. They had previously dealt with difficult circumstances like anonymous threats, extortion, and survei

. Avery hesitated. She felt her chest constrict. As they always did in such situations, her fin

f we go any deeper, Camille... I don'

on her shoulder. "Then

time, Avery l

the sender. There were-encrypted but traceable. She even stated that it was most likely a political

curled up like a child exhausted by chaos, Avery sa

le like she always had. But another part-the part that had grown tired

Maybe she just wanted something real in

rising to a scream. Camille was her sister to her. But sisters didn't bury bodies

ing had

t sure who the real a