The study still smelled faintly of sandalwood, the kind of heavy, deliberate fragrance that always clung to Michael Helwart’s spaces, imposing, calm, and just a little suffocating. Linsy stood near the polished oak desk, her hands loosely clasped in front of her, forcing herself to appear calm when inside, her chest was thudding like an erratic drum.

Michael had been silent for a long time, his gaze steady, probing, the way an interrogator might watch a prisoner squirm. Finally, his deep ...