Chapter 3

The interview was going well. Shockingly well.

It was Rory's tenth interview this month, held in a sunlit office in a mid-tier design firm. Mr. Abernathy, a kind-faced man with a soft paunch, was beaming as he flipped through her portfolio.

"This is exceptional work, Miss Conway. Truly. The kind of fresh perspective we've been looking for."

Rory felt a surge of hope so powerful it almost made her dizzy. This was it. This was the one. She could almost taste the relief, the steady paycheck, the good health insurance for Willa.

"I just need to run a final background check, a formality, really," Mr. Abernathy said, turning to his computer. He typed her name into a database.

Rory watched as his smile faltered. His brow furrowed. He clicked his mouse a few times, his pleasant expression dissolving into one of discomfort and then outright panic.

He cleared his throat, suddenly unable to meet her eyes. "Ah. Well. Miss Conway, we... we appreciate you coming in. Your work is, as I said, very impressive. But, ah, we'll need to... consider other candidates. We'll be in touch."

The familiar chill washed over her. It had happened again. The open door, slammed shut in her face for no discernible reason.

She walked out of the building and onto the bustling New York street, the hope draining out of her, leaving a hollow ache in its place. It didn't make sense. It was as if her name itself was a poison.

Her phone buzzed. A text from her landlord: Rent is three days late, Rory. Followed by another from the pharmacy: Willa's prescription is ready for pickup. Co-pay: $250.

Desperation was a physical thing, a tightening in her chest that made it hard to breathe.

Her phone rang. It was Tierney Walsh, her best friend and the one person who had stuck by her through everything.

"Hey," Tierney's voice was a welcome warmth. "You sound like hell. Another no?"

"Worse than a no," Rory said, her voice thick. "It was a yes, Tierney. It was a yes until he typed my name into a computer."

There was a pause on the other end of the line. "Rory... I heard something. I didn't want to tell you, didn't want to believe it. But my cousin who works in HR downtown... she said there's a whisper going around. An unofficial blacklist."

Rory stopped walking. "A what?"

"A list of people you don't hire. And your name is on it. Someone with a lot of power, a lot of reach, is making sure every design firm in this city shuts you out."

The world tilted on its axis. It wasn't bad luck. It was a deliberate, systematic attack. And she knew, with a certainty that chilled her to the bone, who was behind it. Corbin.

"But you need money, right? Like, right now?" Tierney's voice turned practical.

"Desperately."

"Okay. Don't hang up. I have an idea. It's not ideal, but it pays. It pays well. In cash. No questions, no background checks." Tierney took a breath. "The club I work at, The Onyx Room, they're looking for a new lounge singer."

Rory's stomach dropped. A lounge singer? She'd been the lead singer of a band in college, a passion she'd long since buried. But singing in a smoky club for strangers... it felt like another piece of herself she'd have to sell.

"Tierney, I can't..."

"It's a high-end private club, Rory. Not some dive bar. The clients are all Wall Street types with more money than sense. The tips alone are insane. It would be enough. More than enough for Willa's medicine."

Willa. The name was a homing beacon, pulling all her scattered, panicked thoughts into a single point of focus. Her pride didn't matter. Her dignity was a luxury she couldn't afford.

That night, she sat by Willa's bed, watching the gentle rise and fall of her small chest. She looked at the stack of bills on her nightstand, a monument to her failure. The decision was already made.

The next day, she stood before Vince Kowalski, the manager of The Onyx Room. He was a shrewd man with tired eyes who looked like he'd seen it all. He led her to a small, empty stage, pointed at a piano, and said, "Show me what you've got."

Rory sat down, her fingers finding the familiar keys. She sang a simple, heartbreaking ballad, pouring all the fear and exhaustion of the last six years into the melody.

When she finished, the silence in the empty club was profound.

Vince stared at her, a flicker of something unreadable in his eyes. "There's a story in that voice, kid," he said gruffly. "People pay to hear stories."

He hired her on the spot and gave her a cash advance for the first week. Rory held the thick stack of hundred-dollar bills, the paper feeling both shameful and life-saving in her hand. She paid the rent. She bought Willa's medicine. For the first time in a long time, she could breathe.

She didn't know she was breathing borrowed air.

High above the city, in the sterile quiet of Vance Industries, Miles Finch delivered his report.

"Sir, as per your instructions, Rory Conway has been blacklisted from every reputable design and architecture firm in the tri-state area."

Corbin didn't look up from the document he was signing. "Her current status?"

"She took a job, sir. As a singer. At a private club called The Onyx Room."

Corbin's pen stopped moving. A slow, cold smile spread across his lips. The Onyx Room. The very place he and his associates conducted half their business. The place he practically owned.

The irony was exquisite. He had wanted to back her into a corner. Instead, she had walked right into the center of his cage.

"Is that so?" he murmured, the smile turning predatory. "What a... coincidence."

He picked up his phone and dialed a number from his contacts. "Julian. Kade. Feel like a drink tonight? I know a place with some new entertainment."