Lora and her guardian

Ardella pressed the button to roll down the car window. The cold, early autumn wind of New York rushed into the back seat of the black sedan. She took a deep breath, letting the chill bite at her lungs.

The screen of her phone lit up in the dark cabin. The caller ID showed Eleanor Vance, her business partner. The vibration buzzed against her thigh, breaking the silence of the ride from JFK to Manhattan.

Ardella slid her thumb across the screen to answer.

"He is at it again," Eleanor said. Her voice was tight with anxiety. "Braden is at the club right now. He is not even trying to hide it."

A cold smile touched the corners of Ardella's mouth. She did not feel a single ounce of the anger a fiancée should feel. Her chest remained perfectly calm.

Eleanor's call was unexpected, but Ardella was never truly unprepared. The years of navigating the treacherous waters of her family's politics had taught her to always carry an insurance policy.

"Change the route," Ardella said to the driver. Her voice was flat and hard. "Take me to The Pinnacle Club."

The driver glanced at her through the rearview mirror. He saw the dead, freezing look in her eyes and silently pressed his foot down on the gas pedal.

Outside the window, the dark waters of the Hudson River flashed by. For a split second, the image of her father's blood pooling on the asphalt fourteen years ago violently forced its way into her brain.

Ardella squeezed her eyes shut. She dug her fingernails so hard into her palms that the skin nearly broke. She used the sharp physical pain in her hands to push down the wave of panic rising in her throat.

The sedan pulled up to the heavy, gold-trimmed doors of The Pinnacle Club. A doorman in a crisp uniform stepped forward and pulled her door open.

Ardella stepped out. Her stiletto heels clicked against the pavement. She smoothed down the front of her trench coat, making sure there was not a single wrinkle on the fabric.

She walked up to the security checkpoint. A massive guard lifted his arm to block her path, his eyes scanning her unfamiliar face.

Ardella did not stop moving. She reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a solid black card stamped with the Coffey family crest. She held it up right in front of his face.

The guard's expression changed instantly. The color drained from his cheeks, and he quickly dropped his arm, stepping aside to clear the way.