The Shadow in the Ledger

The Thorne estate archives smelled of ozone and decaying vellum—a sterile, suffocating tomb for the city’s most guarded sins. Elena Vance moved through the gloom, the silk of her gown whispering against the cold marble floor like a warning. She had exactly twenty minutes before the guard rotation, a window she’d bought by feigning a migraine and retreating to the master suite. If Julian discovered she was here, the protective clause she’d fought for would be shredded along with her credibility.

Her fingers trembled a

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