The air in the room, already thick with the scent of old wood and dust, grew heavy with a new, predatory tension. Sophia’s heart hammered against her ribs, a frantic drumbeat of ambition and fear. She leaned closer, the cheap, cloying scent of her perfume clashing with the faint, expensive aroma of Michael’s cologne.

But then, a voice, colder than the river water outside, cut through her fantasy.

"Do you need a reminder that I am your brother-in-law?"

Sophia froze. Her eyes lifted to meet ...