"The global tracker just flatlined."
Elena Vance slammed her coffee mug onto the mixing console. Hot dark liquid spilled across the glowing digital keys. She ignored the mess.
The Royal Grand Opera House smelled of expensive spilled champagne and ancient polished wood. Discarded velvet jackets hung over the backs of the leather chairs. The Royal Court had stayed awake through the night to watch the sun rise over their new empire.
Ryan Parker stood near the grand glass window. He held a crystal glass of ice water. The brutal exhaustion of the lethal grade assessment still weighed heavily on his bones.
It was exactly eight in the morning. Ten hours ago Parker Pavilion claimed the sovereign crown. They conquered the global charts.
Elena tapped her glass screen with trembling fingers. The
