The city hadn’t quieted since the scandal broke. Aurora’s face dominated news tickers in every financial district, her name muttered in boardrooms and bars alike. Some hailed her as daring; others dismissed her as reckless, unfit to inherit.

But tonight, Aurora had no time for headlines.

She sat in Damien’s suite overlooking the river, the glow of multiple monitors painting their faces in shifting blues. Elise typed furiously, tracking endless trails of numbers that twisted through ...