The car pulled into a long, paved driveway, lit by sleek ground lights that guided the path like stars lining a runway. At the end stood a mansion, bold, modern, and towering as it belonged to a man who owned everything and needed no one.

Black-tinted glass walls rose high under a silver-framed roof. The exterior lights cast a glow so elegant, it made the structure look untouchable like a sculpture meant to be admired from a distance. Ivy crept up one side, deliberately manicured, while sharp, angular designs broke up the structure like a piece of living architecture.

Ava stepped out of the car slowly, her eyes scanning the...