The main study of the penthouse felt less like a residential home office and more like the executive boardroom of an elite global conglomerate. Dark, polished oak paneling lined the high walls, framed by floor-to-ceiling brass bookshelves and vast glass windows overlooking the dramatic silver spires of Midtown Manhattan.
At the absolute center of the room sat a massive, custom-built desk made of dark, polished black walnut. Seated around the adjacent leather conference seating were three men in tailored charcoal suits: Arthur Vance, the senior partner of Cross Industries’ primary global public relations firm, along with Julian’s head of corporate legal counsel, Thomas Vance, and the chief manager of the Cross family global estate.
When Julian and Maya walked into the study hand in hand,
