Chapter 1 - The Weight of Glass
The living room air tasted of sharp copper and pulverized crystal. Claire lay half-entangled in the shag carpet, her pale shoulders shivering beneath the expensive weight of her blue off-shoulder dress. Strands of bright red hair stuck to the sticky residue of spilled wine near her left temple. Shards of the marble-topped coffee table gleamed like jagged teeth across the expensive Persian rug.
Marcus dropped hard to his knees, his tailored grey suit straining against his shoulders as he reached out with shaking hands. His face was pale, stripped of the smooth composure he usually wore like armor in boardrooms and cocktail galas.
"Claire, don't move. You're bleeding," Marcus whispered, his fingers hovering anxiously over a deep scratch on her arm.
Claire looked up at him, her green eyes wide with a terror that went far deeper than a simple domestic accident. Her chest rose and fell in rapid, shallow gasps.
"Marcus, this keeps happening," she said softly, her voice barely audible over the hum of the central heating.
Standing a few feet away, Elena clutched the folds of her maroon sleeveless dress, her knuckles white. Her face was flushed with adrenaline and defensive fury. She pointed a trembling finger down at the broken glass.
"She came at me first!" Elena shouted, her voice cutting through the heavy silence of the room. "I didn't push her. She threw herself backward. She wanted everyone to see this exact mess!"
Before Marcus could turn his head to answer, a heavy thud echoed from the arched doorway behind them. Julian stepped into the light, his dark blue suit rumpled and his face twisted into a mask of cold, calculated rage. He threw his arms out wide, his voice booming with terrifying authority.
"The first fall already failed!" Julian roared, his eyes darting from Marcus to the bleeding woman on the floor.
Elena froze, the color draining entirely from her face. Marcus slowly stood up, turning to face Julian with a gaze so chillingly devoid of surprise that the entire room seemed to drop ten degrees.
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"You didn't check the floor bolts before you reset the loop," Marcus said calmly.
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