Chapter 1

The elevator doors slid open with a soft, hydraulic sigh, revealing the polished marble floor of the Skyline Lounge. The air up here was different—thinner, cooler, scented with a blend of expensive cologne, crushed citrus, and the faint, metallic tang of the city’s exhaust that never quite reached the heights. It was a Sunday, lazy and golden, the kind of day that demanded leisure and looked good doing it. I stepped out, the heels of my strappy sandals clicking against the stone, a sound that seemed too loud in the hushed grandeur of the space. Above us, the glass ceiling arched like the belly of a giant, transparent beast, offering a panoramic view of the sprawling metropolis below, a grid of lights and shadows beginning to blur as the afternoon sun dipped lower. I had been told to meet him there. Not a text, not a call, just a coordinate and a time. *Skyline Lounge. 2 PM. Wear the red dress.* The instructions were sparse, devoid of affection, yet they carried the weight of an order. My heart was already doing a slow, heavy thud against my ribs, a rhythm I knew all too well. It was the sound of