Emily sat at her desk, the card from the gala glinting under the lamplight like a weapon waiting to be drawn.
Victor Sarvanes.
She’d spent two nights combing through archives: interviews where he never gave a straight answer, photographs where his smile never reached his eyes, speeches that hinted at promises only fools believed. A man like him could be poison—or the antidote. She still didn’t know which.
The clock edged past midnight before she finally picked up the phone. Her pulse was steady, but her voice—by design—was not.
“Mr. Sarvanes,” she began softly, weaving in hesitation like silk thread, “I think my husband is cheating on me.”
The pause on the other end was deliberate. Long enough for her to imagine him leaning back, calculating whether to play along.
“Is that so?” His t
