The stillness that followed Matteo's demise seemed to linger in the air, suffocating the once-vibrant energy of the estate. It had been a clean execution necessary, but Lysander and Kylie both knew that their world would never be the same again. The cracks in their empire had been exposed, and the weight of that reality was heavy, a reminder that power, even the most carefully cultivated, could always be under threat.

The days following Matteo’s betrayal were spent carefully ...