Chapter 1 - The Weight of the Crown
The narrow space beneath the servant’s staircase was cold, smelling of ancient dust and damp earth. Raphael Orsini, the man whose name was whispered in fear across every boardroom and back-alley in Chicago, was huddled against a stack of crates. His breathing was shallow, heavy with the intoxicating scent of expensive rye and the metallic tang of dried blood.
"One hundred seven nights," I repeated under my breath, the words ringing in my ears like a funeral bell.
"Don't sound so surprised, Clara," he rasped, his gray eyes catching the faint sliver of light coming through the door’s crack. "You’ve been the only thing in this tomb of a house that felt real. Everyone else is a shadow, a pawn, or an enemy."
Footsteps thundered on the floorboards directly above us. It was the security team—my security team—the men who had been trained to execute orders without hesitation.
"He was seen entering the east wing!" a guard shouted.
"Sweep the staff quarters first," another commanded.
My heart felt like it was trying to punch its way out of my chest. I thought of Micah, alone in his hospital room, waiting for his morning dose of medication. If they found Raphael here, they wouldn't just fire me. They would erase me.
"Why did you come to me?" I whispered, my fingers digging into my apron. "You have safe houses. You have private security that would die for you."
"I told you," he said, his voice dropping to a fragile tremor. "They need something from me. You are the only one who doesn't see me as a bank or a weapon. I needed to see if I was still human, or if I had truly become the monster they all say I am."
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The footsteps moved toward the kitchen. My skin crawled with terror. I looked at Raphael—the man who controlled the city’s dockyards and unions—and I didn't see a criminal. I saw a man drowning in a sea of his own making. Without thinking, I reached out and covered his hand with mine. It was ice cold.
"Stay quiet," I commanded, my nursing-student training overriding the girl from the slums who was terrified of her boss. "If they find you, I'll tell them you forced me. Keep your head down."
