Clara took a slow sip of his drink, her eyes scanning the room. At the far table, three men in grey suits were pretending not to watch them. "The 'Continental' doesn't just give up its secrets for free. We had to play the long game tonight."
The rain in Berlin didn’t just fall; it haunted the cobblestones of the Mitte district like a recurring dream. Within the velvet-lined walls of the , the world felt decades away from the sleek, glass-and-steel city outside. Playbirds Continental No 49
He didn't turn. He knew the scent: jasmine and cold rain. It was Clara, the most dangerous of the flock. She slipped into the leather booth beside him, her silk dress shimmering like oil on water. Clara took a slow sip of his drink,