Haelyn recoiled. She saw the madness beginning to creep across the man's face. Mark bowed his head again, clutching the charred shoe as if it were the last remnant of his heart. Mark's devastation ran far deeper than Haelyn had imagined, and for the first time, Haelyn felt afraid of the man she had long controlled with her manufactured tears.
At the same time, miles away at Valerius Group headquarters, Leo's assistant sat alone in a dark technical room. The light from the monitor screen reflected off his deathly pale face. His trembling hands operated the mouse to search through the central backup server.
