The world didn’t end with a scream. It began with a whisper, a single notification tone echoing in the quiet before dawn.

Aria sat in Liam’s apartment, still in the crimson dress from last night, her hair tangled and her heart heavy. Her reflection in the window looked like a ghost, pale, fragile, but finally free.

Then her phone began to vibrate again. And again. And again.

She picked it up. News alerts flooded her screen.

Breaking: Devereux Holdings Under Investigation for Fraud and Human ...