The penthouse felt less like a sanctuary and more like a gilded cage. The panoramic view of Edinburgh, once a source of exhilaration, now felt like an accusation. I could see everything, but understood less. The glittering façade of the city hid a rot I was only beginning to comprehend.

For weeks, I’d been restless, the thrill of small-time scores fading into a dull ache of ambition. The necklace, the blackmail – it was all just petty cash compared to the real power lurking beneath the surface. I needed something bigger, something that would resonate through the very foundations of this city. And I knew, with a certainty that only my unique perspective could grant, that such a thing existed.