#Chapter 29: Jealousy's Sting

I worked through the night, completely redesigning the Gala entrance and arrival sequence to accommodate Kane's last-minute security demands. By dawn, my eyes burned from exhaustion, but the revised plans were complete. A small, defiant part of me took satisfaction in the work's perfection. If Giana had hoped to see me fail under pressure, she would be disappointed. After a quick shower, I gathered the revised plans and headed directly to Kane's office. Protocol dictated that security changes of this magnitude required his personal approval, and I was determined to get it face-to-face. When I reached his office, I knocked once sharply and entered without waiting for permission. The words I'd rehearsed died in my throat at the scene before me. Kane sat behind his desk, but he wasn't alone. A woman perched suggestively on his lap, her arms draped around his neck. Both were laughing intimately, their faces close together. I recognized her—Lydia Winters, daughter of a neighboring