The city below seemed unaware of the chaos that had erupted just hours earlier. From the penthouse, the lights shimmered like a thousand fragile promises, delicate and distant. Alexander leaned against the window, arms crossed, eyes fixed on the streets below, but his mind was elsewhere. Every glance at the city reminded him that Damien’s reach extended far beyond the physical it lingered in strategy, in shadows, in the calculated anticipation of each move.

Amelia joined him quietly, her ...