The cabin creaked as it reached the apex of the Riesenrad, suspended high above the glittering sprawl of Vienna. Inside the small wooden box, the air felt thin and charged with a static tension that had nothing to do with the altitude. Kai stood by the glass, his silhouette framed by the golden haze of the city lights below. He looked out at the horizon, where the dark Danube snaked through the urban landscape, yet his mind was miles away, trapped in the cold corridors of the Bowie estate.
"It is beautiful up here, is it not?" Kai asked, his voice low and carrying a melodic softness that masked the turmoil beneath his ribs.
Elea stepped closer to the window, the movement of the cabin causing a slight sway that made her stomach turn. "It is breathtaking. From this height, everything loo
