"Besides my brother's private detail?" Clara casually mentioned, swirling her glass. "There is a rival spy agency actively hunting Vesper's founder in this very room."
Rafael did not allow his posture to stiffen by even a millimeter. His face remained a mask of effortless, aristocratic calm, though every muscle in his body braced for an immediate strike.
"A rival spy agency?" Rafael echoed softly, taking a slow sip from his crystal glass. "That sounds like a theatrical rumor spun by the lower district papers."
Clara leaned against the polished brass railing, her dark eyes glittering with a dangerous, insider knowledge as she looked out over the sparkling expanse of the high-end district.
"I assure you, Julian, it is no rumor," Clara murmured, her voice dropping into a intimate whis
