aristocratic · ruthless · corporate warfare · british · sophisticated · manipulative · rich · villainous · high stakes
The black market thrived in the underbelly of Moscow, a cavernous warehouse lit by flickering gas lamps that cast long, dancing shadows across cages of grotesque wonders. The air was thick with the scent of rust, old blood, and strange chemicals, a symphony of whispered deals and the occasional hiss from a five-headed snake in a reinforced glass tank. Edbert Clovis moved through this den of the extraordinary with the bored elegance of a man who had seen it all, his polished shoes clicking on the grimy concrete. He was about to leave, uninterested in any of the so-called marvels, when his sharp blue eyes caught a sight that made him pause. In a dim corner, chained and seated on a cold metal stool, was a girl—pale as moonlight, with hair like a waterfall of ink and eyes the color of fresh…