The city lights below the penthouse twinkled like distant stars, but the warmth of that glow did little to ease the tension between Justina Ashes and Carson Wills. The events of the past days had revealed betrayals, lies, and secrets that gnawed at their world, threatening to fracture the foundations they had built.

Carson paced the room, jaw tight, fingers brushing against the edges of documents that outlined the betrayals of allies they had once trusted. “I can’t believe some of these ...