Back at the penthouse, the city lights spilled across the polished floor, casting long shadows that stretched like fingers across the room. The sounds of the gala still rang in my ears, glasses clinking, murmurs of conversation, laughter that felt too practiced to be genuine. I closed the door behind me, letting it click into place. The sudden quiet was almost violent, pressing in on my eardrums. The heels I had worn all night lay discarded by the door, but my body still hummed with adrenaline, every nerve alert, every muscle aware.
I moved to the mirror, the large, full-length glass that had once reflected the carefree girl I thought I knew. But tonight, the girl staring back at me was unrecognizable. The smoky eyes that had once flirted with curiosity now burned with calculation. The sh
