Chapter 827

• "Look at the winter garden, Portia," Svetlana cooed, her voice dripping with a saccharine malice that never reached her eyes.
• She gestured toward the glass-enclosed atrium where rare white orchids bloomed in artificial frost.
• "They’re quite delicate, aren't they?" Svetlana continued, her gaze scanning Portia for any sign of a hidden spark. "The climate control is state-of-the-art. It ensures that nothing, and no one, gets too hot or too cold.”