Success did not exactly burst into Lynda’s life. It crept in, more like an invisible luxury, subtle, persistent, and impossible to ignore.

After two weeks living in Marcus’s penthouse, her whole routine had changed. Mornings no longer began with careful budgeting or anxious planning. They began with sunlight filtering through floor-to-ceiling glass, coffee delivered by a building attendant, and silence that came from insulation, not peace.

Her wardrobe shifted too, though not in any flashy ...