Inside the vast Sterling mansion, silence stretched across marble floors and high ceilings, undisturbed and absolute. The city lights flickered faintly beyond the tall glass windows, distant from the quiet luxury within. Dominic stood alone in his private study, the dim glow of a single lamp casting sharp shadows across the room.
Everything was different.
Too still.
Too empty.
His phone buzzed against the polished desk, the sound cutting through the silence like something unwelcome.
Dominic didn’t reach for it immediately.
He already knew—
Nothing that came to him at this hour would be good.
He knew it wasn’t random.
Nothing was anymore.
Slowly, he picked it up.
A single message from his private investigator.
No greeting.
No explanation.
Just:
You need to see this.
A file a
