The television screen in our living room flickered with a sudden, aggressive burst of camera flashes. It was midday, three days before the initial appearance, and the local news anchor’s voice cut through the quiet house with sensational urgency: “...breaking updates now out of Manhattan, where billionaire Jason Vanderbilt has just made his first public appearance since his high-profile discharge from the medical center.”
Liam, who had been leaning against the doorframe, stopped immediately. His massive frame went completely rigid, his eyes locking onto the screen. I sat frozen on the edge of the couch, my hands curling tightly into the fabric of the cushions.
The broadcast cut to the towering, iron-gated entrance of the sprawling Vanderbilt estate. Flanked by high-end private security a
