THE LUNA CLAUSE

Sylvie spread the contents of Marcus's folder across her kitchen table and stared at the mess of documents and pictures. Three cups of coffee later, she was no closer to understanding what made Myles Martins so dangerous, but she was definitely more awake.

The financial records were the most confusing part.

Martins Corporation had subsidiary companies that owned other subsidiary companies, creating a web of business relationships that would take a team of accountants weeks to untangle.

Money flowed between accounts in patterns that didn't make obvious sense, and several of the companies were registered in countries that weren't known for their transparency in business dealings.

But it was the personal information that really bothered her. Or rather, the complete lack of personal information.

"Nobody is this private," she muttered, pulling out her laptop. "Not even billionaires."

She opened a new browser window and started her own search, going deeper than the basic Google results she'd looked at earlier. Social media turned up nothing. School records from his supposed college showed no trace of him. Even the business journals that covered his company religiously had almost nothing about the man himself.

It was like Myles Martins had appeared fully formed as a billionaire CEO without any history before that point. Which was impossible, unless someone had spent a lot of money and effort making sure his past stayed buried.

Her phone buzzed with a text message. Paul.

"Hey beautiful. Been thinking about you. Coffee later?"

Sylvie stared at the message and felt her mood drop even further.

Paul Kingston had been her boyfriend for eight months, and they'd broken up three weeks ago when she finally admitted that she wasn't in love with him and never would be.

He was a nice guy, smart and funny, but there hadn't been any spark between them. Dating him had felt like going through the motions of having a relationship without actually having one.

She'd tried to let him down easy, but apparently he wasn't ready to accept that it was over.

"Can't. Working on a story," she texted back.

"Come on, Syl. Just one cup. I miss talking to you."

She put her phone face down on the table and tried to ignore it. Paul was the last thing she needed to worry about right now.

Her laptop chimed with an email notification. The subject line made her sit up straight.

"Myles Martins inquiry - Luna Foundation"

She opened the message and found a formal response from Martins Corporation's media relations department. They were pleased to hear about her interest in the Luna Foundation and would be happy to provide her with access to the charity gala this Saturday evening. A press pass would be waiting for her at the registration table.

"That was fast," she said to her empty apartment.

Most companies took days or weeks to respond to media requests, especially when journalists were asking detailed questions about their finances.

Getting a response within hours was unusual. And an invitation to their biggest social event of the year? Yup. Suspicious.

But it was also exactly what she needed.

Her phone buzzed again. Paul.

"I heard you're working on something big. Maybe I can help. I know people."

That made her look up from her laptop. Paul worked for a consulting firm that did business with half the companies in Manhattan. He did know people, and he'd helped her with sources before when they were dating. But something about his timing felt wrong.

"How did you hear I was working on something?" she texted back.

"Word gets around. You know how it is."

Word got around among journalists, sure. But he wasn't a journalist. He was a business consultant who specialized in financial analysis and strategic planning. There was no reason for him to know anything about her current assignment unless someone had told him specifically.

Her phone rang. Jenna.

"Thank God," Sylvie said, answering immediately. "I need to hear a normal voice."

"What's wrong? You sound stressed."

Jenna was two years younger than Sylvie, but sometimes she seemed like the more mature sister. She had a way of cutting through drama and getting straight to the point that Sylvie envied.

"I'm working on this story about a billionaire CEO, and something feels off about the whole thing."

"Off how?"

Sylvie looked at the scattered documents on her table. "Like he doesn't really exist. Or like someone worked really hard to make sure most of his life stays hidden."

"Maybe he's just private. Rich people can afford to be invisible if they want to."

"Maybe. But Jenna, there are rumors about him. Weird rumors. About him doing things that shouldn't be humanly possible."

There was a pause on the other end of the line. "What kind of things?"

"Moving faster than humans should be able to move. Plus, he's having meetings with people who don't even show up in any government records."

Another pause. "Sylvie, you're starting to sound like one of those conspiracy theory people."

"I know how it sounds.” She groaned. “But my editor has been researching this guy for months, and three other journalists who were working on similar stories have disappeared."

"Disappeared how?"

"Officially? They relocated for family reasons or got better job offers. Unofficially? Nobody has heard from any of them since they stopped working on their Myles Martins stories."

"That's scary."

"Yeah, it is. Which is why it's good you called. I needed to check on you. Marcus thinks this story could get complicated, and I want to make sure you're safe."

"I'm fine, Syl. I'm working at the gallery, going to my art classes, living my boring little life. Nobody's going to bother me."

But that wasn't entirely true, and both sisters knew it. Jenna worked at an art gallery that barely paid her rent, and she'd been trying to get into a prestigious art school in Europe for two years.

The tuition was more money than their family had ever seen, and Jenna was too proud to ask Sylvie for help, which was kinda better because she couldn't even afford it if she wanted to. She winced at that last thought.

"Promise me you'll be careful," Sylvie said. "Don't talk to any strangers asking questions about me. Don't give out my address or phone number to anyone. And if anything weird happens, call me immediately."

"You're scaring me."

"Good. I'm scared too."

After they hung up, Sylvie went back to her research, but she couldn't shake the feeling that she was missing something important. She pulled out the photographs from Marcus's folder and spread them across the table, studying his entire demeanor.

It wasn't arrogance, exactly, though he clearly had plenty of that. It was more like he was constantly evaluating everyone around him, measuring them for some purpose that wasn't obvious to casual observers. Like a predator sizing up potential prey.

Her phone buzzed again. Paul.

"Seriously, Syl. I can help. I've done work for some of the big corporations. I might have contacts who know things about your guy."

She stared at the message for a long moment, then typed back: "What kind of things?"

"Ones you need. Doesn't show up in public records. Financial stuff, personal connections, business relationships that aren't supposed to exist officially."

That was exactly the kind of information she needed, but something about Paul's eagerness to help bothered her. He'd never shown much interest in her work when they were dating, and he'd definitely never offered to share confidential information from his consulting clients.

"Meet me at Rosario's at six," she typed. "But Paul, this has to stay between us. I'm serious."

"Of course. See you then."

She put her phone aside and went back to the photographs. She was still staring at her laptop screen when her phone rang. Marcus.

"How's the research going?"

"Confusing. I'm finding patterns, but I don't understand what they mean. And Marcus, my ex-boyfriend wants to help. He says he has contacts who might know things about Martins that aren't in public records."

"Your ex-boyfriend the business consultant?"

"Yeah. Paul Kingston."

There was a long pause. "Sylvie, be very careful about who you trust with this story. If even half of what I suspect is true, there are going to be people who don't want this information to become public."

"You think Paul might be working for someone else?"

"I think you should trust your instincts. If something feels wrong, it probably is."

After Marcus hung up, Sylvie sat at her kitchen table surrounded by documents and photographs, trying to piece together a puzzle that seemed to get more complicated with every new piece of information she found.

One thing was clear though, she was going to the charity gala on Saturday night, and she was going to get close enough to Myles Martins to figure out what he was hiding.