Chapter 1 1

Seventy-two beats per minute.

Anya Blair pressed two fingers against the radial artery of her left wrist. The pulse was steady, rhythmic, a biological metronome that defied the chaos threatening to erupt in her stomach.

She stood at the edge of the red carpet, the gravel of the driveway crunching beneath the tires of the departing ride-share sedan. It was a calculated choice-efficient, anonymous. The dark vehicle looked like a bruise among the pristine white Rolls Royces and vintage Bentleys lining the entrance of the Hamptons estate.

The salt air from the Atlantic whipped a strand of hair across her face. Her hand flew up, not to brush it away, but to cover the back of her neck. It was a phantom sensation, a ghost of a memory where a scar tissue still felt tight against the skin.

She forced her hand down.

She wasn't that girl anymore. She was a machine of flesh and bone, calibrated by ninety-hour work weeks and the sterile, unforgiving lights of the operating theater.

Anya adjusted her breathing. Inhale for four. Hold for four. Exhale for four.

Her heels clicked against the marble steps leading to the security checkpoint. The sound was sharp, like the snapping of a dry twig.

The security guard was a wall of muscle in a polyester suit that strained at the shoulders. He didn't look at her face. His eyes went straight to her dress.

It was a navy silk slip dress, elegant but undeniably three seasons old. She had chosen it specifically for that reason. A ghost from a past they all wanted to forget. In this zip code, wearing last year's fashion was a graver sin than adultery.

"Name," the guard said. He didn't hold a clipboard. He held an iPad, his finger hovering over the screen with bored indifference.

"Anya Blair," she said.

Her voice didn't tremble. It sounded clinical, detached, the way she announced the time of death to a grieving family.

The guard swiped. Then he swiped again. His brow furrowed, creating a deep valley of skin above his nose.

"Blair," he muttered. "Not seeing it on the primary guest list."

From behind her, a heavy sigh drifted through the air. Someone clicked their tongue against the roof of their mouth. It was the sound of entitlement being inconvenienced.

Anya felt a prickle of heat climb up her spine. It centered on the scar on her neck.

"Check the supplementary list," she said. "Under the Ventech Capital delegation."

The guard looked at her then. Really looked at her. He saw the lack of jewelry, the sensible clutch, the way she stood with her weight evenly distributed, ready to engage, not to flee.

He scrolled to the bottom of the screen.

"Right," he said, tapping the glass. "Go ahead."

He unhooked the velvet rope.

Anya stepped through. The transition from the cool night air to the climate-controlled interior of the ballroom was a physical shock.

The light from the massive crystal chandeliers was aggressive. It bounced off diamond necklaces and champagne flutes, creating a dazzling, disorienting field of vision.

The air smelled of money. It was a specific scent-a blend of imported peonies, heavy musk cologne, and the metallic tang of chilled oysters.

Anya didn't scan the room for friendly faces. She scanned it for threats. It was a triage assessment.

A waiter approached with a tray of crystal flutes. The bubbles rose in frantic lines to the surface.

"Champagne, miss?"

"No," Anya said. "Water. Sparkling. No ice."

Alcohol dulled the fine motor skills. She needed her hands steady. She needed to be able to suture a vessel at a moment's notice, even if the only thing bleeding tonight would be their bottom line.

She took the water and moved toward the periphery of the room, her back finding the safety of a pillar.

From this vantage point, she saw him.

Bentley Everett stood in the center of the room, the gravitational pull of the party. He wore a tuxedo that fit him with the precision of a second skin. He was laughing at something a donor was saying, his head thrown back, exposing the column of his throat.

But the smile didn't reach his eyes. Anya knew that look. It was the smile he practiced in the mirror before board meetings.

And then she saw the hand on his arm.

Belle Estrada was a vision in emerald green. The fabric clung to her, announcing every curve. Her hand wasn't just resting on Bentley's bicep; it was anchored there. Her fingers were curled tight, the nails painted a blood-red that matched her lips.

Anya watched them. She didn't feel jealousy. Jealousy was a useless emotion, a waste of ATP. She felt a cold, analytical curiosity.

Belle turned her head. Her gaze swept the room like a radar dish, seeking out social currency and potential threats.

The radar stopped.

Across fifty feet of polished parquet floor, their eyes locked.

Belle's smile faltered. It didn't disappear, but it froze. The corners of her mouth twitched, a micro-spasm of the zygomaticus major muscle.

Anya didn't blink. She stared back with the flat, unreadable expression she used when looking at an MRI of a terminal tumor.

Belle leaned in and whispered something into Bentley's ear.

Bentley's reaction was immediate. He spun around, his movement sharp and ungraceful. His eyes found Anya in the shadows.

The color drained from his face. It wasn't the pale of shock; it was the grey of fear.

A ripple went through the crowd as people followed their gaze. Whispers started, low and buzzing like insects.

"Is that...?"

"The Blair girl?"

"I thought she was in Baltimore."

Anya felt the adrenaline dump into her bloodstream. Her heart rate spiked to ninety.

She took a sip of water. The bubbles bit her tongue.

She pushed off the pillar. She didn't turn toward the exit. She didn't look for a side door.

She walked straight toward them.