The silence in the Mandarin Oriental Salon was no longer merely quiet; it was heavy, pressurized by the sudden realization that the hierarchy in the room had just been violently inverted. Winston felt a bead of cold sweat trace a path down his spine. His mouth went dry as he stared at the diamonds nestled in the mahogany box. Even without his mother’s expertise, he could see the "Star of Winter" necklace possessed a fire that made his two-hundred-thousand-dollar Emerald Cuff look like a trinket from a gift shop.
Who is this man? Winston thought, his mind racing through the corporate registries of Port Haven. Is he truly just a disgraced son-in-law, or have we been blind to a predator in our midst?
Serena Montgomery was the first to break the trance. She reached out, her fingers trembling
