The silence in the car was a tangible, suffocating entity. Linsy stared out the window, watching the city’s opulent heart give way to the secluded, tree-lined avenues leading to the Garden estate. Each meter traveled felt like a chain being looped tighter around her will.

Michael’s earlier words, ‘Who in the entire capital do you think would dare to take this case?’...echoed in the quiet, a stark reminder of the gilded cage she inhabited. The fight seemed to drain from her, leaving ...