With a light knock on the office door, Elizabeth opened it slightly, hesitantly.

John was sitting in a leather chair behind an imposing desk.

The large window behind him framed the carefully manicured garden. Like the rest of the house, the office was spacious, sophisticated, and at the same time cold and impersonal.

Beside him, a man stood with impeccable posture. He must have been about thirty-five years old, athletic in build, with brown hair combed to the side and austere features.

Despi