Chapter 27. Midnight Ledger

Harper returned to the penthouse suite late that night, the buzz of the symposium still ghosting through her chest. The applause. The spotlight. The split-second where she thought she’d won.

But now? The silence was too heavy to feel like victory.

Knox stood by the window, the city lights catching in the angles of his face. He’d removed his earpiece—the badge of submission from earlier tonight—but the control cuff still glowed faintly on his wrist.

She didn’t speak.

Instead, she crossed to the minibar, poured a slow finger of whiskey, and turned to face him.

“Singh sounded interested,” she said finally, voice low.

Knox studied her. “You clipped the collar?”

She lifted her bare wrist. “Before we left. It’s secure.”

“Good.” His voice softened. “It sends a message.”

She nodded once. “We gave him equal terms.”

Knox stepped closer, his approval quiet and solid. “Perfect.”

They shared the whiskey in a silence that wasn’t co