The House of Solace, just past midnight.
The hallway leading to the Velvet Room never held its breath so tightly. Silence had weight here...... pressed into the maroon wallpaper, soaked into the carpet, pooling beneath Jasmine’s bare feet like wine spilled from a cracked decanter. The further she walked, the more the air thickened, the closer the room drew her in, as if the walls themselves leaned in to watch.
The brothel behind her still hummed faintly—laughter, music, a wet moan smothered by velvet cushions. But Jasmine had left all that heat and glitter behind. Here, things moved slower. Sharper.
She paused at the threshold, hand resting on the doorknob of lacquered onyx. Her reflection in the polished metal caught her eye. A dark mouth. A darker gaze. No jewels tonight. No flowers p
