The Cross Empire tower was quiet, a silence that felt less like peace and more like the held breath of a storm.
Liam sat in his office, the lights dimmed, a single glass of amber liquid untouched on the desk beside him. The "Anonymous Tip" from the last chapter—the text about Sophia, the betrayal, the footage—had sent Aurora running into his arms.
It had been a victory. A tactical win.
But it hadn't solved the puzzle. It had only deepened the haunting.
She’s running to me because she has nowhere else to go, he thought, staring out at the rain-streaked skyline. Not because she forgives me.
He turned away from the window. He walked to the safe hidden behind a panel in the mahogany wall. He punched in the code.
Inside, there was a small, velvet box. Not the one with the thimble.
This o
