The city of Blostom was awake in its usual rhythm—cars streaming through the roads, people rushing in and out of the Prosecutor Building Center, and the occasional blare of sirens in the distance.At 10 a.m., a sleek, midnight-black sports car sat idly in the parking lot, the tinted windows shielding its occupants from prying eyes.Inside, Thenma was relaxed—too relaxed. One hand rested on the wheel while the other lifted a can of soft drink to his lips. Across from him, Laura Finch sat with her arms crossed, brows slightly furrowed.She hesitated for a moment, then exhaled."You’re saying Joey gave you the hint… through a sandwich?"Thenma smirked, glancing at her sideways. “Mr. Douglas.”Laura rolled her eyes. "Joey."Thenma let out a chuckle, taking another sip of his drink. "Yeah, a sandwich. Pretty creative, huh? The guy used mustard to write the damn coordinates. Real old-school spy shit."Laura’s gaze sharpened, her skepticism evident. "And you’re sure you got it?"Thenma’s smi

The air outside Verona Lounge was thick with humidity, carrying the scent of city smog and the lingering aroma of cheap perfume from the women who worked its sidewalks. The neon sign flickered in crimson hues above the entrance, casting an eerie glow onto the pavement below. It wasn’t just another nightclub. It was a place of power. A place where shadows lurked in the corners, where men with deep pockets and darker secrets indulged in pleasures that couldn’t be spoken of in daylight. And tonight, Katarina Whittaker walked into it willingly. Getting in hadn’t been as simple as she expected. The underground broker she was forced to meet had slid her a note with a single, cutting remark: “Verona Lounge doesn’t take random city whores. If you’re not from Anony, you’re out.” That in itself was enough to raise suspicion. Katarina had worked through Blostom’s nightlife before. Clubs like Verona Lounge were supposed to be filled with girls from all backgrounds—runaways, desperate wome

The sleek black sports car sliced through the night, its low hum blending with the cold wind that wrapped around the city’s outskirts. Thenma hadn’t spoken a word since they left. His hands gripped the wheel with perfect precision, his eyes fixed forward, lips sealed tight.Katarina sat beside him, feeling the silence thickening like fog. After what happened back at home—after those words, those fists—she thought he brought her out to say something. To hear something. Anything. But the only sound in the car was the engine and the distant whisper of the road under them.She didn’t dare breathe too loud.Thenma’s eyes glinted briefly with the city’s lights as they approached a familiar riverside lookout. Across the water, the city glittered like a fallen constellation. He parked the car and stepped out without a word, walking over to an old wooden cabin-like bench near the railing. The city’s reflection rippled in the water below.Katarina hesitated for a moment, unsure if she should fo

The room smelled like cologne, sweat, and something sour that clung to the silk bedsheets. Katarina sat still at the edge of the bed, her back facing the door, the sequins of her tight dress catching a faint glint of light from the ceiling chandelier. Her long, black hair fell over her shoulders in slightly tangled strands, the once-meticulously straight locks now damp with frustration.Her lips, swollen from Rover's greedy kisses, pressed into a tight line.She tugged the strap of her dress back onto her shoulder with a flick, adjusting her neckline and glaring at nothing in particular. Her reflection across the room stared back with the same dead-fed up expression—icy blue eyes dulled with irritation."Goddamn it," she muttered under her breath.He’d left her. Just like that.After everything she’d done to tolerate his touch, to hold back the shiver of disgust crawling up her spine—and he left her with nothing. No slip of information, no loose tongue, not even a whisper about what s

Rain fell like a fine mist over Anony City, diffusing the neon lights into hazy glows that pulsed against damp sidewalks and shuttered storefronts. It was early—too early for most of the city’s vices to rise—but not for Laura Finch. She had never been one to wait for the night to draw the worst out of people. Evil, she knew, wore watches and drank expensive coffee at dawn.The temporary office they had commanded on the top floor of Hotel Auria overlooked the eastern edge of Highlife—Anony's middle class residential quarter. From up here, the towers of glass and silver looked almost innocent. Almost.Laura sat hunched over her laptop, its faint blue light casting hard shadows under her eyes. The coffee beside her had long since gone cold. Data filled her screen—financial records, resident registries, and the reconstructed timelines of shadowy investments she had begun threading together since arriving in Anony two days ago.So far, the investigation into Edward Montgomery’s money laund