The Prime Ministers residence was on 171 John Noel Street. It was kept clean by a staff of maids who waited at the doorway for the couple to finish packing their bags and leave the home. Decades old portraits of previous Prime Ministers lined the living room walls of the office’s traditional home. The grandfather clock’s deep ticking sound filled the air. Alfred Finch stood at the phone in the living room, tapping his foot on the ground while Kennedy waited on the couch. She had her bags all packed into the car, ready to go to their new ranch. It had been far too long since they last had a proper vacation, Kennedy thought. A newspaper was in Alfred’s hand, it was a copy of the Emerald Gazette. He had a few loose ends to tie up before they could leave, “I’ll talk to you about immigration when we get back, send the bill to my ranch,” he said before hanging up the phone.

  Alfred straightened his tie and stood quietly for a moment before stepping into the living room. Kennedy sighed, “We don’t have much time, I want to be there before six o’clock.”

  “Don’t worry,” Alfred said. He opened a small cabinet in the corner of the living room, pulling out a small black bag. He knelt before the coffee table and unzipped the bag and took out a bottle of pills. Kennedy watched him toss one in his mouth, he held the bottle up to her, “Would you like one?” he said. Kennedy declined, “You may as well, it will be a long boat trip.”

  Kennedy took one, Alfred took a second and picked up his bags. They headed for the door when the phone rang, “Sir! Senator Gunther on the phone again!”

  “What does he want?”

  “He says to turn on the radio!”

  Alfred put on his hat, “Tell him I’ll listen in the car, I’m on my way out,” he said. He stepped off the stoop and followed Kennedy into the backseat of their cab. He turned the radio on to hear Olivia Apollo speaking. Shocked, Alfred listened to her words as they passed the capitol.

  “Mr. Speaker, distinguished members of the Senate, and the Tykan people, I’m addressing you all because there is an urgent matter I must discuss with you. Recently, our senate has passed a bill that was meant to revive the Tykan economy by supporting our industry. It was a noble cause, but as the acting sovereign of this empire I must exercise the office of executive duties when I believe it necessary to protect the empire. I’m here to tell you that Prime Minister Finch’s bill was only intended to take advantage of the working people in this country, the people who live in tents on the river, in the slums outside factories. You, good people, deserve welfare and a response that will rebuild from the ground up. Finch and his people would have the poorest of us starve so steel companies might increase their profits and fix the problem later. We need solutions, we shall not let them set us back, which is why I am vetoing the Fair Trade and Labor Relations act. I will work with the National Liberals on a clean deal to put our people to work, and food on their tables.”

  “Stop the car!” Alfred shouted, and the cab squealed to a halt. The Prime Minister got out of the car, “I’ll be with you soon, Kennedy. Go on,” he said, and the cab carried on without him. He stormed up the steps of the Apollo, passing the statue of Lady Adeline the Great. Journalists caught him on his way into the building.

  “What have you got to say in response to her majesty, Olivia vetoing your bill?” they asked, “Have you got the votes to overturn a veto, sir?”

  Finch answered none of their questions. He got inside and raced through to his office where men were already making phone calls and shouting orders at one another. He found Conservative party leader, Harlem Gunther, smoking a cigar and leaning on the Prime Ministers old darkwood desk, “Where have you been? What the hell is going on, Alfred?”

  Finch got behind the desk, “I'm calling an emergency session, we will challenge this nonsense. .”

  Gunther sat at the sofa in his office, “What are you going to do about her?” he said, worried.

  “Relax, we will find the votes. She’s a ticking timebomb, people are gonna turn on her.” Finch reached into a drawer and took out a thick manilla folder, “Once people realize she’s full of shit, they’ll turn on her. You only need to pull back the curtain, and people will listen to reason.” Finch put the folder in his briefcase. He looked to the senator, “Tell the press she is not what she seems.”

  Gunther left the office and Finch’s aides began to report the position of each senator. “Only fifty seven believe the veto should be overridden at the moment, we gained one senator from Verdino, but nobody else is answering our calls,” they said.

  … Finch picked up the phone, “Get me Senator Darwin on the phone, we need to come to an agreement and end this,” he said. The staff hesitated, Darwin was the liberal candidate for Prime Minister, Darwin had hated Finch’s bill from the beginning. Finch waved his staff members off and waited for the line to connect.

  “Prime Minister?”

  “You’ve heard about this veto?”

  There was a pause on the phone, “I’ve heard of it, yes. I also happen to believe she made very good points, Prime Minister.”

  “Is that so? The way I see it, we are on a two pronged path. There is one where we can override this veto, or one where your party is responsible for the Senate not being able to offer any solutions to its people. Why do you believe she is who she seems? We’ve never heard anything from her until now, she never spoke to the people before and now claims to speak for them? She’s mad. Surely this is not what Lady Adeline intended.”

  “I don’t find your attack on her majesties character will do you any favors, she is an honorable woman.”

  Finch got up, “Sure… I’ll see you in the senate chamber,” he said before hanging the phone up. He pulled aside one of his aides and passed him the briefcase, “Take this to Cooper from the Apollo Times.”

  ***

  Antony drove Olivia to the northern boroughs of Yorkshire, it was about a five minute drive from the Apollo. Blocks of rowhouses for Senators and other government officials. They were spacious apartments in large brick buildings, some residents sat out on their stoop, watching the cab pass them by. The southern rainstorms had crossed the sea and found its place in Yorkshire, the rowhouses looked like a watercolor painting through the windshield. Antony brought her to the home of Kane Bell, where his wife Bobbie Bell, sat on the stoop. “Let me get the umbrella,” Antony said, he got out of the car and popped open an umbrella. Olivia got out of the cab under Antony’s umbrella. Bobbie stood up “Your majesty…” she said with obligation.

  “Are you not bothered by this rain?” she asked.

  “Kane doesn’t like it when I smoke,” she said, “He coughs and coughs, so I keep it away from him now… When I want a smoke I don’t give a shit about rain,” Bobbie held her hand over the cherry of her cigarette, the light glowed as she dragged on it, “You’re here to see the Red Congress people?” she asked. Olivia nodded and Bobbie stepped under the arch of her front porch, “Why?”

  “Your husband gave me some concerning information, so I asked to speak with them to come to an agreement.”

  “An agreement?” Bobbie asked, “You think the senate will let your veto stand?”

  “They haven’t overruled it yet.”

  “What can you offer us if it is overruled?” Bobbie said, she flicked the cigarette butt into the sidewalk and opened the door, “They’re all inside.”

  Olivia was taken back by Bobbie’s sharp language. She was a known suffragette, her work had consisted of harassing senators, organizing protests, she had even been suspected of coordinating a car bombing, Bobbie insists they are rumors. She established ties with the Red Congress and built a caucus of pro suffrage delegates. With help of the socialists from the Red Congress, she organized a canning factory employed almost exclusively by women.

  Olivia followed her into the home, Antony stood awkwardly in the rain, Bobbie held the door open and gestured for him to enter, “Do you want some coffee?” she asked Antony. The cab driver smiled and followed the women inside.

  The rowhouses were small, and Olivia could hear the murmur of a conversation in one of the two upstairs bedrooms. Bobbie gestured to the sofa in the living room on their right, “They’ll be down in a moment.” she said, passing through the living room and into the kitchen.

  “So… What’s got you concerned?” Bobbie asked.

  “I beg your pardon?”

  “You said my husband gave you some concerning information?”

  “Oh, yes.”

  “What’re you afraid of?”

  Olivia hesitated to answer, Bobbie gave Antony a cup and poured a second cup for Olivia. Olivia sipped on the coffee, it had a nutty and acidic flavor, “I heard rumors, dangerous rumors. The Red Congress has—”

  Footsteps came down the staircase, and Olivia watched three men enter the living room, “Your majesty! It’s a pleasure to see you again,” Kane said. Bobbie sat in the corner of the living room, Kane approached the coffee table and sat across from Olivia. Two socialists accompanied him. Nicholas June sat down and extended a hand toward Olivia, “I’m glad to have finally met you, cousin,” he said.

  Olivia shook his hand. It was true that they were distantly related, her family and the Junes had come together a few times over the decades. Though hardly anyone heard from House June since the end of the Tykan Civil War. Their last common ancestor was Kaiser David VIII, the Mad Kaiser. Olivia smiled and rested her hands on her lap, “I’ve never spoken to anybody from the Red Congress before, but I understand that you have some concerns?”

  Nicholas’ associate leaned forward to speak, but Nicholas spoke first, “We have concerns, yes. Though what confuses me is why you would want to meet us?”

  Kane got up from the sofa and approached a bar cart, he picked up a decanter set that sat beside a radio, he turned on the radio, and turned the music down to a low hum, jazz instruments played calmly and Kane turned around with a glass of whiskey, “Olivia vetoed the Fair Trade and Labor Relations Act, she's here to listen to you. Hopefully, we can find a way to make the union negotiations land smoothly, that's why she's here.”

  “Who's to say this veto will stick? Senators are already challenging the validity of it. As I see it, there's nothing to discuss unless you have something substantive to offer. We're doing just fine on our own,” Nicholas’ associate said.

  “Negotiations have been at a standstill for nearly a month, we’re running close to calling a strike,” Nicholas said., “People have families to feed and they don’t have enough to make ends meet, if you aren’t about to suggest a way for us to get our demands and avoid a strike, then as Jerome said, we really don’t have anything to discuss.”

  “Strikes, especially right now, could be quite dangerous. I think we can talk and find some agreement,” Olivia said, “At least, I think I can make a temporary deal with you folks.”

  Jerome leaned forward, “Let’s hear it.”

  “There are Phanist temples near both the steel factories and the docks, I could fund about a months worth of supply to run a soup kitchen for the workers. All I ask is that you don’t go on strike for that time, and give me a chance to make things right through the avenues I have.”

  “What avenues?” Nicholas asked.

  “I’m the Provisional Kaiser,” Olivia said, “I’ll do what I can to keep Finch’s bill down, and I’ll talk to the bosses.”

  “And what kind of leverage do you think you’d have?”

  “The Finch’s have recently bought land on Skalchi Island and have built a ranch, I find that awfully suspicious. Senator Kane, if I can find evidence that suggests Eugene Perry bribed Finch or any senators to get the bill passed, could you open an investigation?”

  Kane’s eyes widened, “If you had something concrete, maybe.”

  Olivia nodded, “I believe I can bring you something within a months time, just give me one month. It’s possible that we could prosecute the bosses as well as the Prime Minister, that should give you some leverage.”

  The men looked between one another, they processed her offer slowly. Jerome was quick to frustration, “This is a waste of time.”

  Nicholas made a counteroffer, “You should get evidence within a week, if you want us to hold off for a month.”

  “A week to start the investigation? I think I can do that.”

  “Well food isn’t the only problem we have,” Jerome said, “The work they are doing is dangerous, we don’t want charity that will only prolong this grueling negotiation. I feel I need to be blunt here. We need quick action, your majesty.”

  “There aren’t many things I can do to fix those immediately, and I don’t think a strike would be able to either,” Olivia said, “Here’s what I can do, I’ll make a donation to your campaign, and you can use that as you see fit to promote the well being of your workers, or use it in your campaign, just give me a month to work this out.”

  The socialists looked to one another, and Nicholas nodded, “If you’ll feed their families for one month and get an investigation public in a week, then we might have a deal. I will have to talk to the others.”

  “I perfectly understand,” Olivia said, trying to be courteous. Bobbie still glared at her from the corner of the room in a captain's chair. She thought about her conversations with Kennedy, the ranch sounded expensive. She saw Perry come in and out of Finch’s office over the previous months, but she never had a strong reason to act on her suspicions. She smiled and stood up, Kane walked her and Antony to the door.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  ***

  The Red Congress held its meetings in Greene’s cafe, Kane Bell arrived late, he was surprised to see an armed guard at the door. Kane entered the cafe with Bobbie, and they began to converse with others in the building. Workers from the harbor were attempting to form a workers council, an initiative Nicholas and most of the Congress was in support of. Nicholas was a leading figure in the Red Nobles movement, sprouted primarily from his senatorial campaign. Some members of the Congress thought it was a waste of time to even bother with electoral politics, men like Jerome Whitebeard who were more likely to reach for a gun than a ballot. Whitebeard was one of the leading radicals of the Red Congress, he was young and flamboyant. Whitebeard spoke his mind, but Kane saw him as naive. Other radicals, like Margot Gallen-Kallela, believed violent revolution has a place in their movement, but they must work through every means possible to reach their goals of socialist utopia.

  Kane was never a socialist, nor did he claim to be. This difference explained the toxic glares he received from those on the radical left. Kane supported the war, they did not. Kane shook hands with Nicholas, “I see you’ve improved your security, more guns than usual…”

  “Well, you can never be too sure,” Nicholas said.

  “More threats?”

  “No, a warning.”

  “Will you stay here? Where else could you go?”

  “That is for me to know, and no one else. I have no plans on leaving, unless I have no other choice.”

  At Kane’s table he saw Senator Pollock sit down. A social democrat, like himself, Pollock had been increasingly anxious about the prospect of calling a general strike. Paramilitary groups roamed the streets frequently, the socialist movement of militant labor action could cause far more chaos than progress. Violent reactionaries.

  Everyone took their seats in the cafe once the meeting began. At the head of the table was Nicholas June, “Comrades, I want to remind you all that this Congress is about solidarity, and that means solidarity with anyone who acts on the will of the workers… Which is why I spoke with her majesty Olivia Apollo.”

  Gasps around the cafe, by now everyone had heard the news of the veto, and the queens affair. Nicholas continued, “Importantly, she has sympathies with the cause of men like Senators Bell or Pollock… I know some of you think working with this woman would not be ideal, I can already see you wanting to say it, just listen to what we have to say. Senator Bell did most of the negotiating for us, so I’ll have him explain it.”

  Kane stood up and explained the deal Olivia offered them: Money going to soup kitchens to feed workers for a month, and secret money for their campaigns. The red Congress was suddenly intrigued. Nicholas suggested they hold a vote in the cafe over whether they should accept the deal, then Margot rose, “That woman wants us to be complacent, compliant to her. It’s best for her that our soldiers stay in the trenches, our men stay in the factories, and our women in both factories and the home.”

  “Sure, she is out of touch,” Pollock said, “But did you hear what she’s offering you? Do youse really want to brawl with those thugs out there? Let’s keep our skulls intact and feed our families. The workers will have some comfort for a time. The Prime Minister could face significant pressure—”

  “That is only true if there really is a scandal around the Prime Minister, but I only see one around the queen. She’s a trustworthy woman, Pollock,” Jerome Whitebeard said.

  “She is offering us aid that you all know we need,” Kane Bell said, “We could prosecute the Prime Minister, these are promising prospects. It could greatly benefit our campaigns.”

  Margot stayed silent, but Jerome kept fighting, “If we don’t strike, the capitalists will rub us under their heel. Olivia wants us to be quiet and obedient slaves.”

  “Are you not listening to him?” Pollock asked, “We will be able to campaign on a much broader scope. Margot, the printing presses at the could be replaced.”

  Margot sat there quietly, Jerome stood beside her and continued to debate, “She wants us on a leash.”

  “We could use more time to prepare,” Margot said, “If the kitchens will feed workers, we should take this as a chance to organize even further. Steelworkers are beginning to show remarkable passion for our movement, we can spread the message of revolution further, sow more seeds.”

  ***

  It was one thirty in the morning when there was a rapping at her apartment door. Amelia glanced through her bedroom door to the main entrance. The knocking continued, a startled Amelia sat up in her bed. She thought as her feet made contact with the floorboards. She turned on a lamp in the hallway and tightened a robe around herself. The door was at the end of a short hallway, the man knocked again, “Amelia Graves?” he said.

  It did not sound like Agrippa. She glanced over to her kitchen, her eye on the knife block just beside her. She leaned out of the hallway to pull out a knife and approached the door. She put her eye to the peephole, alarmed to see a man in the royal sentinel uniform. Suddenly, she put the knife down on a side table and opened the door, “Can I help you?” she asked.

  “Are you Amelia Graves?” the sentinel asked, Amelia nodded and the sentinel stepped back, “Her majesty the Provisional Kaiserin…” he said, and a woman stepped into her doorway. The face of Olivia Apollo faced the lamplight, and Amelia tried to rub the sleep from her eyes.

  “Why are you here?” Amelia asked.

  Olivia entered the hallway, and the sentinel waited outside, “I want to have a word in private with you, is that okay?” Amelia didn’t know what to say. Olivia shut the door behind her and looked around the apartment, she saw the knife on the hallway table. Olivia smiled, “I was hoping you could share with me what progress you have made on investigating the Prime Minister.”

  “It’s one thirty in the morning, your majesty…” Amelia said, “What are you doing here?” her arms crossed and she shuffled uncomfortably down the hallway, she reluctantly turned on another lamp to illuminate her living room. Olivia took a seat on her sofa, “Should I make some coffee or tea for you?”

  “You may want some coffee,” Olivia said, “I think you’ll find you won’t want to rest until you finish writing this story.”

  “What story?”

  “Yours. I saw you talking to him, at the hotel.”

  “Oh, well he and I have only recently been seeing one another… He wasn’t very receptive to my questions.”

  “But you know there’s a story.”

  “I feel like there is something going on.”

  “Do you think he is hiding something from you?”

  Amelia didn’t answer her. She turned on the faucet and they could hear the sound of the water pipes rushing to fill the coffee pot. She placed a second pot above it that she filled with ground coffee, a small glass filter went between them. The vacuum pot was placed on the stove, and Amelia turned back to Olivia in the living room, “Why are you here?”

  “The royal family has not been fond of the Prime Minister, my veto is proof of that.”

  Amelia waited for her explanation.

  “When I made the decision to veto this bill, it put a lot on the line. I’ll have the courageous liberal activist reputation until the debates start.”

  “What would ruin your reputation? Does Finch have blackmail on you?”

  “I don’t know, but I think he made a threat. I will need some voice of reason out there, a spotlight on the man who be at the center of this mess and to blame for the consequences of moving forward with the bill.”

  “What’s the story?”

  “Kennedy Finch told me that they bought land out on Skalchi Island. They’ve built a ranch and have horses down there, they’re getting a yacht. We’re experiencing global depression, millions on the brink of famine around the world, the world is sinking and he shops for boats.”

  “While potentially questionable on moral grounds, I don’t see anything illegal.”

  “Your partner, the militia man, he spends a lot of time around that business man, Eugene Perry, is that right?”

  “I was only his date for dinner. Agrippa and Perry, though, do have some sort of partnership.” They heard the sound of the coffee pot boiling, the water rose through the filter and began to brew in the coffee. “I was wondering if he would have any information that could reveal what is going on with the Prime Ministers sudden wealth? Men like Perry were the ones with the most to gain with this law.”

  “A bribe?”

  “Do you think that you could get Agrippa to testify in a senate hearing?”

  “No,” Amelia said, she took the coffee off the stove, and it filtered back into the lower chamber, “Why would he testify against his associates?”

  “I believe he connects them, it is significant,” Olivia said, “You know this man, you’ll write the story of the decade here if you can find a way to get this man to appear in a hearing for the labor committee.”

  “I don’t know if he knows anything,” Amelia said, she poured herself a cup of coffee.

  “Where is he right now?”

  “I don’t know that either,” Amelia walked into the living room and sat down, “What I have been hearing is that Finch was offering some of the moderate liberals committee positions in exchange for votes, but I never heard anything about financial bribes.”

  “Where would the Prime Minister get the money to buy that ranch on Skalchi Island?”

  Amelia shrugged, “I don’t deny that it’s strange.”

  “Exactly,” Olivia said, “I think the public has a right to ask that same question.”

  “How do you suppose anybody is going to do anything about it?”

  “Senator Bell is the chairman of the Labor Committee, if the Emerald Gazette draws attention to the Prime Minister’s wealth during a crisis, there is pretext for Bell to announce an investigation and to have the support of the committee. Of course we are a democracy so public opinion is what matters most, which is why I thought someone should be writing about something relevant to the people, someone who wouldn’t write nonsense about peoples personal lives,” Olivia said. Amelia picked up a notepad and pen from her coffee table.

  Amelia opened the notepad, her notes from the hotel were still on the page, “What do you know about that estate on Skalchi Island?”

  “They bought it sometime in the past three months, they were planning to leave for a visit this weekend, but I suppose Alfred chose to stay behind.”

  Amelia thought about Ricard, “Well, I don’t think anyone is going to be interested in talking to me about anything sensitive, let alone damaging.”

  “You can write in your paper that sources from inside the royal court have suspicions of Finch.”

  “That’s all you can give me?”

  “There are rumors of criminal activity, its possible we should expect an indictment against the Prime Minister,” Olivia watched the reporter write her notes, “Does that serve as a good start?”

  “I’ll need to find specifics.”

  “Yes, will you help us?”

  Amelia sipped her coffee, “I’ll look into the story and write what I see, but I’m not promising any favorable coverage to anyone.”

  “You’re an honest reporter?”

  “Do you want me to offer you coffee, or will you be on your way?”

  Olivia got up from the sofa, “Don’t you understand the importance of killing that law? Unions across the country could be violently attacked or suppressed. There are organizations that will violently retaliate.”

  “You’re afraid of someone? The Red Congress?”

  “Your uncle’s paper has influence I would rather not be misused, especially when law and order hangs on public opinion.”

  “What are you afraid of happening?”

  “I only came to offer you some information, but I was never here, of course.”

  “I’ll look into it, but what else is going on? What do you know?”

  “Media control is a powerful thing, there are crimes being committed by our Prime Minister, and you’re asking for more information? I am telling you where people’s attention should be, if I like your work I can give your paper a formal interview. Have a good morning, Ms. Graves,” the Queen opened the apartment door and followed the sentinel out of the building.

  ***

  At two thirty in the morning, Antony followed Olivia into her bedroom. Above the headboard was a new painting, it was a beautifully textured oil painting of a stoic female figure in an art deco style, rendered with sharp lines and smooth, sculptural forms. The woman wore a white and green blouse, she had green eyes and red hair which gave a vibrant hue. Her expression was serene and enigmatic, with an air of confidence and sophistication. Antony pointed to the portrait, “Who is this?”

  “I asked the maid to pick a painting for the wall, I let her have her own choice.”

  They both sat down at the sofa and stared at the portrait together. Antony turned to Olivia, he watched her, “It’s a good painting.” Olivia said. Antony put his hand to her cheek, but Olivia froze then brushed his hand away, “I’m sorry, I…”

  “It’s okay,” Antony said, turning back to the painting, “Are you alright?”

  Olivia didn’t know, “I’m afraid,” she heard herself saying.

  “Afraid of what? That someone’s gonna come and tell you about some vote you lost out on? You don’t need to live like that, waiting for everything to be okay.”

  Olivia smiled, “I've been waiting a long time for that,” she said, “I think getting this story out, attacking Finch, can give me an upper hand here. It's about time for Alfred and Kennedy to get theirs. Its the most consequential thing I can do right now, I think it's right..”

  “A vindictive, ambitious woman,” Antony smiled, “I suppose you mean you'll put them to the sword, yes?” he said, laughing. Olivia untied her hair and went to the bathroom, she started to get ready for bed., “Hey, wait a minute. What's wrong?”

  Olivia shook her head, “I don't know…” she looked to her bag where she kept the listening device, “I’m just antsy, I don't have an explanation,” she said, a note of irritation on her tongue.

  Antony nodded, “Okay, well… I can leave if you'd like—”

  “No, don't leave.”

  “I’ve got a lecture in six hours.”

  “Stay here, you'll need to sleep.”

  Antony thought for a second before answering, “Okay… should I go to the spare bedroom, or what was, well… how—” Olivia came back to the sofa and took his hand, she leaned against him. They sat there for a while longer, looking at the portrait, “You really don't know who that is in the painting? You just let them paint whoever?”

  “It's nice, who cares who it is?”

  “I don't think it's necessarily bad, it's just interesting. It could be someone's cousin, a total stranger to you… I guess that doesn't sound all that interesting now that I'm saying it.”

  “And you said you're in law school?”

  Antony looked at his watch and showed her the time, “You can't expect any person to be up at a time like this and be reasonable, let alone fully conscious.” Antony’s head rested against hers. Olivia closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep.

  ***

  Olivia woke up hearing the bedroom door open. She saw Antony enter with the newspaper. In his eyes Olivia saw an expression of shock she had never seen before. He looked up at Olivia, “Ahrm, your majesty,” he muttered, “I think you should see this.”

  Olivia sat upright, Antony closed the door behind him and approached the bed. He handed her a copy of the Apollo Times, “I uh, I’m not sure what to do now.”

  “Olivia Apollo Has Affair With Immigrant...” she read from the headlines, “What the fuck is this?” she said, an attempt to deny the panic she could feel bursting in her chest.

  “How could anyone have gotten anything to the press?” Antony said, “What did you say to that reporter?”

  “Nothing…” Olivia looked down, “I, well…”

  “What?” Antony said, he stood over her with the paper in his fist. A tear rolled down Olivia's cheek, and the paper fell to the ground, “Do you know something about this that I don't?” he asked. Olivia went to her purse and took out the bug.

  Antony leaned closer to see it, “I found this behind the wall where his painting used to be. Someone has been listening.”

  “How long has it been there?”

  “I don’t know, maybe a week? A month? They brought the painting in not that long ago. I don’t know what Xavier knows. He didn't sound like he heard anything last I spoke to him.”

  “How could that be? Who else could have set up a listening device?” Antony stopped, “What does that matter…” he sat down beside her, a sinking feeling in their hearts, “I should go,” he said. She put the device on the nightstand and reached for Antony, but the man stood up. He walked to the door, “I’ll go someplace quiet.”

  Olivia reached into her purse and took out a handful of cash, she placed it in his hands, “I’m sorry,” she said. Antony frowned, one hand on the doorknob and he looked to the cash in the other. Then he gave Olivia one last look, she kissed him, then Antony left.