Peter stepped out of the private room with Elise's deal promise still warm in his pocket—twenty-five billion for Sterling's twenty-three, plus a new player in the Premium Tier who'd probably spend the next week staring at that tablet like it was a religious relic.
The door clicked shut behind him with the soft finality of a contract sealed in blood and ambition.
The gallery's second-floor balcony overlooked the round auction hall like a Roman emperor's box at the Colosseum.
He moved to the railing, forearms resting on the cool iron, eyes sweeping the floor below in the slow, deliberate arc of a predator who no longer needed to hunt but still enjoyed watching the herd move.
Charlotte was easy to find—near the central pillar, surrounded by her usual constellation: Helena, Isabella and Janet laughing too loud at something Celeste had just said, Amanda, Madison, Rebecca, Anastasia, Sophia, Ashby, Gabrielle, Vivienne.
