The heavy, velvet curtains of the master bedroom in the Harborview Penthouses were drawn tight, but the silence inside was far from peaceful. Serena Montgomery sat on the edge of her bed, the silk of her nightgown feeling like lead against her skin. Her mind was a chaotic storm of corporate anxiety and familial resentment. Dame Beatrice’s decision earlier that evening had been a calculated blow; by handing the Zenith Media negotiation to Preston Montgomery, the matriarch had effectively signaled that Serena’s branch of the family remained firmly in the shadow of the Family Office.
Serena’s own company, Aegis Corp, was teetering on a precarious edge. The books were bleeding red, and the creditors were beginning to circle like sharks sensing distress in the water. A partnership with an Indu
