The silence that greeted them inside the penthouse was different from the clinical vacuum of the Wall Street skyscraper. It was heavy, dark, and thick with the damp ozone of the monsoon echoing against the reinforced glass. The automated system had already adjusted to the evening parameters, bathing the polished concrete floors and minimalist white marble counters in a low, amber glow that felt more like a gallery than a home.
Elena pulled herself out of Ethan’s grip the moment they reached the center of the living pavilion, her navy dress rustling violently against the quiet of the room. She didn't look back at him. She walked straight to the floor-to-ceiling windows, her fingers automatically rising to track the erratic path of a single raindrop tearing down the glass. Outside, the Manh
