Chapter 1

My husband, Daniel, stood at the top of the grand staircase with his hand resting possessively against my best friend Maya's waist.

They were welcoming our guests together at my forty-second birthday party like husband and wife.

And Maya was smiling down at me, draped in my late mother's irreplaceable emerald silk gown.

Down in the foyer, fifty of our closest friends, business partners, and high-profile clients were looking up.

The room was humming with quiet whispers.

Everyone knew the dress. My mother had worn it to the architectural biennial before she passed away.

It was custom-tailored, irreplaceable, and kept in a sealed garment bag in my private dressing room.

Now, Maya was laughing, tipping her champagne glass toward a city councilman.

"Elena, darling!" Maya spotted me as I walked into the foyer.

She glided down the steps, the emerald train sweeping over the oak risers. Her face was flushed with manufactured innocence.

"You said I should make myself at home. My luggage was delayed after the move, and I couldn't find anything suitable for such an important night. You don't mind, do you?"

Her eyes flicked over my simple charcoal cocktail dress with deliberate pity.

Daniel followed her down, smoothing his Italian suit jacket.

"Don't make a scene, Elena. It's just a dress. Maya was having an anxiety flare-up about meeting everyone. She looks great, and our investors are watching."

Six months ago, Maya arrived on our doorstep sobbing, claiming her ex-husband had left her with nothing. I gave her our guest suite. I introduced her to my interior design clients. I fed her at my dining table.

Now, she was playing the lady of my manor.

I adjusted the platinum watch on my wrist, met her gaze, and gave a faint, razor-thin smile.

"Silk stretches when it isn't fitted properly, Maya," I said softly, my voice carrying just enough for the nearest guests to hear. "Do be careful around the buffet. Stains on family heirlooms are impossible to forgive."

Maya's smile froze for a fraction of a second. Daniel frowned, stepping between us as if shielding her from a blow.

"Go mingle, Elena," Daniel muttered under his breath. "Stop ruining your own celebration."

I walked away without another word. I circulated the room, smiled at developers, accepted birthday toasts, and discussed pending renovation contracts. My hands were steady. My heart, however, was turning to stone.

Two hours later, Maya slipped upstairs to change into a cocktail dress for the after-party.

I walked into the master suite dressing room. The emerald gown had been tossed carelessly across the velvet armchair.

I approached the chair and picked up the delicate silk to hang it properly. As I smoothed the skirt, my hand brushed the hidden side pocket sewn into the inner lining.

There was a stiff object inside.

I reached in and pulled out a sleek black keycard embossed with silver lettering: The Grand Luxe Hotel, Penthouse Suite.

Tucked behind the magnetic card was a valet slip stamped from last Thursday night, bearing Daniel's license plate number and a handwritten note in violet ink:

Same time next week. Don't wear perfume.