The Starling estate was a fortress of silent, high-end hostility. While the Davises were toasting to a victory they had not yet earned, the Starlings were vibrating with a rage that threatened to shake the very foundations of their mansion.
Daniel Starling sat behind his monolithic mahogany desk, his face illuminated by the cold, blue light of his smartphone. It was a relentless rhythm of notifications—ping, ping, ping. Each one was a serrated blade across his pride.
Transaction: $14,200 - Cartier.
Transaction: $8,500 - Hermès.
Transaction: $22,000 - Vintage Wine Cellar.
Luxury boutiques. Private ateliers. Jewelers whose names were whispered, not advertised.
The amounts were obscene.
