Whispers in Velvet and Chains

Title: Whispers in Velvet and Chains

Author Pen Name: Julian Hayes

The air in the private gallery was thick with the scent of aged whiskey, old money, and something else – something primal, like a predator circling its prey. Elara, draped in a gown of midnight blue velvet that clung to her curves like a second skin, felt it acutely. She was here for a specific piece,