(Lena’s POV)

The room fell into silence. Only the hum of the fluorescent light above us broke the stillness. Victoria stood in the doorway as if she owned the air itself, her silhouette sharp against the pale glow from the hall behind her.

She didn’t move closer. She didn’t need to. Her presence filled every corner of the room.

Damian’s body shifted almost imperceptibly, stepping slightly in front of me. It wasn’t a gesture of possession, but of defense. A shield between me and ...