pte

gs and

ision through hazy vision. No emblems. Next, nothing. In a dim storage container, he awoke strapped to a steel chair. Only one lightbulb Pungent stench of oil and rust. His wrists were raw from the zip ties; they'd underestimated him. The second error. The light

ot ther

at dry. "For now. She is a component of a greater whole th

man. Coordinates. Names. Photos. They were all circled in red ink. "Complete what you started. Or she dies assuming that you never showed up. The door slammed shut, leaving Damia

nd silence of someone who watched more than she spoke. Her rise had not been typical; it had been a carefully planned journey that had been shaped by long nights, covert alliances, and the kind of intelligence that made men in boardrooms hesitate before interrupting her. But beneath her polished exterior was a storm of secrets, most damning of

ried under shell companies, about people who'd gone silent after asking the wrong questions. She wasn't

, with a shining Oxford resume and a body that made heads turn in every corridor. Elena sparkled like light where Sophia moved like a shadow. And n

ing into her silence. respecting her space. Earning trust she once owned. Every time Elena laughed too loudly in the boardroom

roy careers and silence adversaries. She had been careful, storing them across encrypted folders only she could access. Not as

her for the position of COO. In two recent speeches, Rourke had menti

f, it was that nothing can be kept a secret foreve

ith a leake

ubject line. She worked. Her heart slammed against her ribs as she read the headlin

na wore a navy dress Sophia had seen her wear to work that morning. Rourke looked rumpled and intimate, h

en realizing it. By noon, the office was buzzing. A generic reminder about "professional boundaries" was sent out by HR. Rourke's spokesperson

cess to that estate, if someone had a camera near Rourke's private meetings, then they might have pictures

done yet, either. She opened her encrypted folder for the first time in a long time that night. Emails, recordings, and memos were all contained in t

dn't de

, a manila envelope appeared on Sophia's desk. No note

and grinning at something he said. The times

one watching. Someone wanted her to

in after knocking too loudly and loudly. After work,

ed, tightly.

trail of perfume behind. Soph

r merely a power s