Esther’s studio apartment sat directly above Club Eden, but it always felt like a different world entirely. The bass from downstairs hummed faintly through the floorboards, muted enough to be ignorable, yet ever present—like a reminder that nothing ever really stayed buried. The space smelled like incense and old books, walls lined with abstract sketches and unfinished canvases, chaos contained in a way that only Esther ever managed to pull off.
She stood near the kitchenette, her arms crossed tightly over her chest, and her jaw clenched. Kade leaned against the counter, his arms folded too—not defensive, he told himself. Just tired.
“You’re unbelievable,” Esther snapped. “Do you have any idea how stupid this makes you look?”
Kade sighed. “Here we go.”
“No,” she shot back, stepping clo
