The ballroom of the Grand Halcyon Hotel glowed with warm light and marble, its wide glass doors open to a line of black cars delivering guests dressed in silk, tailored suits and expensive jewellery. The charity gala had been advertised for weeks.A night dedicated to rebuilding underprivileged schools.Melody stood at the top of the staircase, one hand resting lightly on Caden’s arm as cameras flashed around them. Her gown clung to her figure, the gold fabric catching the light each time she moved. Her hair had been swept back into a style that framed her face and her make up made her look flawless as usual, with tiny elements that made her look like she had just returned from mourning. Caden, beside her, wore a well tailored black suit and hair swept in a befitting style that made him look younger than he was. He lowered his head toward Melody as microphones were pushed closer.“ I am honoured to be here tonight,” Melody said gently, her voice sounding strained as she had intended.

Melody had not moved from the spot she stood since the moment she saw him.Her hand was still wrapped around the stem of her champagne glass, the cold of it biting into her palm, the bubbles inside long gone because she had been holding it for far too long. The music in the ballroom continued to flow gently through the speakers, laughter and soft applause rising and falling around her, but it all sounded distant, as though she had been pushed behind a thick wall of glass.Her eyes refused to blink, s6aring at the man who supposedly just returned from the dead it seem. Karl was standing at the very center of the room, where everyone could see him. At the right of The Gordon Maxwell. The biggest lobbyist in the entire country if not the world with a fortune the media had said was rolling into the trillions. Her chest tightened so sharply that for a second she thought she might choke.No. It was not possible.Karl was dead! She made sure of it! She had called the damned truck driver f

“Good evening.”Karl turned fully toward the woman who had stepped into his path. He inclined his head. “Good evening.”For a second, she hesitated, as though deliberating on what to say next. Karl remained completely neutral, three months was enough to kill any form of sympathy he might have for this woman. Her gaze traced his face without apology, stopping at his eyes before drifting away again.“You seem very… familiar with Maxwell,” she said lightly. “I’ve watched him all night. He doesn’t give many people that kind of attention.”Karl shifted his glass from one hand to the other. “We’ve known each other for a long time.”That answer was true enough to be useless.Melody smiled. “I thought that might be the case.” She lifted her own glass but did not drink from it. “I’m Melody.”“Karl,” he replied, offering nothing more.She laughed softly. It was the kind of sound people made when they wanted a conversation to feel easy. “Of course.”Her eyes returned to him again, sharper thi

Mumurings took over the hall and the orchestra continued playing. Why did the light go off? Is there some kind of special announcement to be made? Then the first gunshot cracked through the room. The sound was so sudden that it froze the entire ballroom. A second shot followed immediately after, echoing against the high ceilings.People screamed and scrambled in all directions. Chairs scraped across the floor and glass shattered somewhere near the bar.“What is going on?!” “Where is security?!” “HELP!!” “OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD!” The ballroom erupted in chaos as everyone ran for shelter. Personal security detail cover their clients, guns drawn and ready to retaliate.Karl’s hand tightened instantly around Anna’s wrist and he pulled her down beside him as another shot rang out from the far side of the ballroom.“Stay down,” he said firmly.Anna gasped as he guided her behind one of the marble columns near the dance floor. Guests rushed past them in every direction, some dropping to t

Karl’s loft was silent except for the sound of his ragged breathing. The lights were off. Only the glow of the streetlights beyond the tall windows filtered into the room, leaving most of the interior wrapped in darkness. He preferred it this way. It helps him concentrate. Karl’s body moved against the floor as he continued the push-ups he had started nearly forty minutes earlier. His palms pressed firmly into the hardwood, arms bending and straightening as his chest lowered and lifted again.Sweat ran slowly down the side of his face before falling onto the floor beneath him. His breathing remained even despite the strain building in his muscles.If only he had seen a little bit more of the men, he knew he would be able to figure out who they were and who sent them..Karl pushed himself up again before lowering slowly to the floor, the muscles in his arms tightening with the motion.The attack replayed in his mind for what felt like the hundredth time.The logo he had seen on what