A chill ran through Erin Walker as she stepped into the marble foyer of Black Medical's Portland office. It was early afternoon, the sunlight slanting through floor-to-ceiling windows and casting long shadows across the polished floor. Leon Black strode beside her, his tailored navy blazer swapped for a charcoal suit, face set with resolve.
“Ready?" he asked softly.
Erin swallowed, her heart pounding. “As I'll ever be."
They paused before a suite of frosted-glass doors etched with the Black family crest. Through the haze, she could just make out Eleanor Black's silhouette, her figure rigid behind the frosted panel. Erin closed her eyes, steadying herself, then followed Leon inside.
---
Eleanor sat behind a massive mahogany desk, the same cold authority Erin remembered from their first
