For three weeks, their empire flourished. Emily and Alexander ran Drake Industries as equal partners, the reformed Vanguard network operating under their new structure, every challenge met and conquered. They were untouchable—a king and queen who'd claimed their throne through fire and absolute devotion.
Then the flower arrived.
Emily found it on the penthouse's entry table when she returned from a board meeting. A single white lotus flower in a crystal vase, pristine and elegant, with a small envelope beside it.
Her blood ran cold.
She knew that symbol. Her father had loved white lotuses, had kept them in his office before everything fell apart. They'd represented purity and enlightenment in his mind—ironic, given what he'd done. But Emily hadn't seen one since his arrest, hadn't allowed them near her for years because they reminded her of everything she'd lost.
