The hidden chamber beneath the estate seemed alive, not with shadows, but with the memory of what had once been. Carson and Justina had walked its halls, uncovered its secrets, and claimed it as their own. Yet, even amidst victory, an electric tension lingered, a mixture of anticipation, intimacy, and the thrill of discovery.

Carson turned to Justina, his eyes dark with unspoken need. “Every inch of this place,” he murmured, “was designed to control, to intimidate, to manipulate. But ...