“Do not play games with me, Emily,” he said. “I built this city. I can destroy you before the sun comes up.”

“You already tried that,” I said.

The sound of the freight elevator motor suddenly groaned to life deep in the basement.

The heavy steel cables began to rattle in the shaft behind us.

Daniel turned his head, his eyes fixing on the red indicator light above the elevator gate.

The elevator was coming up.

“Did you invite someone else?” he asked, his voice sharp.

“I didn’t,” I said, though I knew exactly who it had to be.

The floorboards vibrated as the elevator rose past the third floor.

The yellow light of the cab began to glow through the cracks in the wooden floor.

Daniel reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, his thumb sliding across the screen.

“Clara is downstairs,” he said, reading a message. “With the security team.”

He looked at me, a cold smile spreading across his face.

“They are here to clear out the studio,” he said. “Every canvas, every file, every scrap of paper.”