It had been about power, about who had it and who did not, about her own bottomless need to stand above someone.

She had simply guessed wrong about who was standing where.

And now the guessing had cost them everything.

Chapter 13 — The Meeting

Three days later, Victoria, Charles, and Andrew secured a ten-minute meeting with the chairman of Whitmore Holdings.

They rode a private elevator to the top floor, the three of them silent, watching the numbers climb.

When they were shown into the office, they saw a man seated with his back to them, in a high leather chair, looking out through floor-to-ceiling windows over the whole glittering sprawl of Manhattan.

“Mr.