[POV: Sofia Lanka]

"Adjust the collar of that jacket, Jack. You’re supposed to be a shadow, not a distraction. If the press sees a single ripple in your posture, they’ll start digging into why the former King of Monroe Group is suddenly carrying my bags and checking my tea for arsenic. We have a narrative to maintain, and 'shattered billionaire' isn't on the menu for today’s lunch."

Sofia didn't turn around as she spoke. She was busy staring at the reflection of her own sharp, gold eyes in the vanity mirror of her executive suite. She looked different—harder. The soft edges of the woman who had once begged for a...