"I have an empire to run and a rival to bury, Rea. Your only job tonight is to sit in the dark and contemplate exactly how much your complete obedience is worth to me."
The heavy mahogany door of the private study closed with a definitive, mechanical click, leaving Rea completely alone in the sprawling expanse of the penthouse lounge. The cold, precise words of her husband continued to echo through her mind, blending with the low, muted hum of the city's power grid outside. She stood completely frozen for several minutes, staring at the exact spot where Zeldin had just delivered his terrifying warning. The glowing light filament evening gown she wore seemed to lose its artificial warmth, casting a pale, clinical luminescence over her shivering arms. She was a billionaire's wife, living a
