Chapter : Shadows in the Light

The ballroom emptied like a dream ripped away at dawn, leaving only overturned chairs, shattered champagne flutes, and the echo of Wallace’s last taunt ringing inside my skull. I stood under the harsh stage lights, skin prickling with sweat and fear, eyes fixed on the double doors where they had dragged him out in handcuffs. Lucien’s hand rested against the small of my back, steady and warm, yet the chill he could not chase away soaked deep into my bones.

Reporters swarmed the corridors beyond, shouting questions we did not answer. Security herded the board into waiting cars. Sirens flashed against the glass curtain...