At 6:30 AM, the blackout curtains of the penthouse on the Upper East Side of Manhattan were slowly lifted, and pale golden morning light spilled across the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Winslow, draped in a custom dark charcoal silk robe, arose, and the butler was already waiting in the foyer with spring water at the perfect temperature.
As he walked to the dining room, bulletproof and explosion-proof glass display cases lined the walls, showcasing various knives he had collected from all over the world: hand-forged tachi with patterns as intricate as flowing water; Nepalese kukri knives with blades that glistened coldly; and the championship works from the Sword Forging Competitions from seasons three to ten. Among them, the S7 champion desert tactical knife was the most striking, with its Damascus forged sand ripple pattern flowing in the light.
Seeing these exquisite collections every morning as he descended the stairs brought him joy.
