The rain from the previous afternoon had cleared, leaving the city streets slick and gleaming under the heavy, low-hanging clouds. Vivian stood beneath the awning of a quiet café on the edge of the corporate district, her hands shoved deep into the pockets of her black trench coat. She didn't have to wait long.
A sleek, charcoal-gray sports car pulled up smoothly to the curb, its tinted window rolling down to reveal Marcus’s face. He wore the exact same smug, infuriating smirk he always did—the look of a man who believed he was entirely in control of every variable, every person, and every outcome.
"Get in," Marcus said, his voice laced with a lazy, triumphant arrogance.
Vivian didn't hesitate. She opened the door and slid into the leather passenger seat, the heavy scent of his expensiv
