Helene stood inside the lavish suite, her fingers delicately working to fasten the clasp of her diamond drop earrings. The soft glow of the setting sun filtered through the room’s sheer curtains, casting a warm, amber hue over everything. From where she stood, she could see her husband leaning on the balcony’s ornate railing, their young son standing beside him, mesmerized by the vastness of the Mediterranean stretching out before them. The soft murmur of the ocean mingled with the faint sounds of distant chatter and laughter drifting up from the harbor below.

She caught her own reflection in the mirror for a brief second and allowed herself a small, amused smile. Monaco. The playground of the rich and powerful, where wealth was worn as casually as a silk scarf. Straightening the strap of her evening gown, she walked toward the balcony, her heels making soft, deliberate clicks on the marble floor.

“Pondering our next purchase?”

she called out teasingly as she stepped through the open glass doors, her voice carrying with the light evening breeze as your son stared at the yachts in awe