Mika's fingers trembled as she scrolled through her contacts and tapped Callum's name. The line rang twice before his voice came through, easy and unhurried."Mika. What's the occasion?""Callum, I need a favor." She pressed the phone harder against her ear, pacing the narrow hallway outside the restaurant's restrooms. "Curry got cornered by Kalyn Group people inside a private dining suite at the Silverpearl Restaurant. Your old classmate is a supervisor there, isn't he? Could you get him to put in a word, just let Curry walk out?"There was a pause on the other end. She could almost hear him thinking, the faint creak of leather as he shifted in his seat. When he finally spoke, his tone had cooled by several degrees."Look, Mika, it's not that I don't want to help. You know I've had feelings for you for years. Then out of nowhere some guy shows up and you two filed for a marriage license, and now you want me to bail him out?" He let out a short, humorless laugh.

The front door swung open and Mika stepped inside, Curry close behind her. The living room was already occupied. Belmont Turner sat in his usual armchair, quiet and small, while Celeste Vale perched on the sofa opposite him with her arms crossed and her expression carved from frost.Mika paused in the doorway. "Mom? I thought you went shopping."Celeste didn't bother with pleasantries. "Shopping? If your father hadn't told me, I wouldn't even know you went to negotiate with the Kalyn Group today." Her eyes narrowed. "Let me guess. You didn't get it done."Before Mika could respond, Celeste was already off, her voice climbing. "I truly don't know what use either of you are. Your father sits in this family without a shred of authority, and his daughter is about to be thrown out of the clan entirely. The sins of a past life must be catching up with me."Mika said nothing for a moment. Then she reached into her bag, pulled out the contract, and set it flat on the cof

The slap connected before anyone in the room could draw breath.Curry rose from his seat, crossed the short distance to Commissioner Beaumont with an unhurried stride, and without a word of warning, drove an open palm straight across the older man's face.The crack of flesh against flesh rang through the Presidential Suite like a gunshot.Alfred froze where he stood, his mouth falling open. His mind scrambled to process what had just happened. What the hell was Curry thinking? The Commissioner had said a few unpleasant things, sure, but nothing warranting a physical blow. This was a man whose authority stretched across the entirety of Bayhaven City. If this escalated, Alfred knew he'd be dragged down alongside him. If he'd had even the faintest inkling things would spiral like this, he would never, not in a hundred lifetimes, have brought Curry here.Then Commissioner Beaumont lurched forward, his mouth wrenching open. A dark, tar-like substance spilled from betw

"Wait, what?" Beatrix blinked, caught off guard. "We're done drinking already?"Callum offered a casual smile, his tone measured and easy. "Mika's had more than enough. If something happens to her tonight, I'd have a hard time explaining it to her parents. Better to call it here.""Oh. Right." Beatrix nodded quickly, not wanting to argue the point. The three of them made their way out of the Spade Lounge and into the cool night air.The breeze hit Mika like a wall. Her stomach lurched violently, and the world tilted sideways. She let out a faint groan, her body going slack as she collapsed against Beatrix, eyes rolling shut. She was out cold.Callum watched her crumple, and the corner of his mouth curled upward. Something dark and satisfied flickered behind his gaze. He turned to Beatrix with a wave of his hand. "You can head home. I'll take it from here."Beatrix froze. "Sorry?""Are you deaf?" His patience vanished in an instant, replaced by something

Celeste Vale burst through the door like a woman possessed, wild-eyed and seething with a fury that could have set the walls ablaze. The way she charged in, one might have thought Curry had robbed her at knifepoint."You filthy wretch," she snarled, crossing the room in three strides and seizing the front of Curry's shirt with both fists. Her knuckles went white as she twisted the fabric. "You give my daughter back her dignity, you hear me? Give it back!"Curry's gaze dropped to her hands, then lifted to her face. His expression didn't shift. "Let go.""Let go? Like hell I will." Spittle flew from her lips. "You're a convict, a released criminal, and if anything happened to my daughter tonight, I swear on everything I have, I'll drag you down with me even if it costs me my last breath."The room felt too small for the volume of her voice. Belmont stepped forward quickly, clearing his throat twice, his palms raised in a calming gesture. "Celeste, please. Let's not