The church bells in Amalfi rang slowly, each sound echoing through the narrow stone corridors beneath the chapel. The air smelled faintly of salt from the sea, mixing with the scent of candle wax and old wood.Leon stood in the dim light of the underground room, the pendant heavy in his hand. Its black phoenix symbol caught the flicker of the candle flames, glinting as though alive.Jason’s voice crackled through the earpiece. “Leon, you went quiet. What’s in the box?”Leon stared at the photograph inside. The woman in the picture was young, no older than twenty-two, with sharp green eyes and dark hair tied back loosely. There was something in her gaze, calm but guarded, like she knew more than she wanted to say.“Her name is Eira Quinn,” Leon said finally.Jason hesitated. “And?”Leon’s voice lowered. “She’s The Architect’s heir and my blood.”Jason swore under his breath. “You mean?”“Yes. Eira Quinn Grant.” Leon closed the box slowly, his hands tightening.From the far side of th

The screech of metal and shattering glass tore through the quiet streets of Naples. The van skidded sideways, slammed into the stone barrier of a narrow bridge, and came to a violent stop.For a few seconds, there was no sound except the hiss of the van’s engine and the slow drip of leaking fluid onto the pavement.Leon’s head throbbed. His vision swam, shapes bending in and out of focus. He could taste blood on his lip.Somewhere near his ear, Jason’s voice was rough. “Leon? You good?”Leon forced his eyes open. The inside of the van was dim, lit only by the weak glow of the dashboard. Selena was pushing herself upright, coughing. Eira sat in the corner, one hand braced against the wall, her green eyes scanning the shadows outside like a hunter.Jason cursed under his breath. “Brakes didn’t fail by accident. Someone cut them.”Leon’s voice was hoarse but steady. “I know.”Outside, the usual hum of the city was gone. No cars. No pedestrians. Not even the sound of waves from the nearb

The study fell silent after Eira’s words. Outside, the wind pressed against the shutters, making them creak softly, like the villa itself was holding its breath.Leon stared at her. His jaw was tight, but his eyes, his eyes were colder than she had ever seen. “Say it again,” he said.Eira didn’t flinch. “The man you caught tonight. The one tied up in your side room. He killed your father.”For a long moment, Leon didn’t speak. His fingers curled into fists at his sides. Selena appeared in the doorway, sensing the tension. “What’s going on?”Leon didn’t look at her. His gaze stayed locked on Eira. “You’re certain?”“Yes,” she said simply. “I was there.”Jason stepped into the study, his usual casual tone gone. “Leon, you should hear her out.”Selena crossed her arms. “Start from the beginning.”Eira moved closer, the soft tread of her boots on the floorboards the only sound in the room. “Your father wasn’t killed in some random attack. Kael sent someone to do it. That someone is the ma

The villa went dark in an instant. Every light, every lamp, every quiet hum of electricity vanished. The silence that followed was thick, heavier than before. Even the air felt different, like the villa itself had been hollowed out. For a moment, no one moved.Then Jason’s voice cut through the dark. “Power’s down. The emergency grid’s not kicking in. This isn’t an accident.”Leon’s hand went immediately to his weapon. His voice was steady but sharp. “Everyone, stay calm. Check your positions. Jason, backup lights, now.”Jason cursed under his breath. “On it.”But even as he moved, a faint sound echoed from deep below the villa. A steady, rhythmic tick, tick, tick. Selena froze. Her whisper was barely audible. “What is that?”Eira answered, her tone flat. “A bomb.”The words jolted the room into motion. Leon’s voice snapped like a command. “Jason, take the east wing. Find the breaker. Selena, stay close. Eira, with me. We go to the cellar.”Selena grabbed his arm in the dark. “Leon,

The papers lay scattered across Selena’s bed like broken glass. Numbers, signatures, accounts, all pointing to one truth she wished she could unsee.Her father. Gregory Hart. The man who had raised her, the man who had built her world of privilege and protection, was helping Kael Voss.Selena pressed a trembling hand to her lips, fighting the sob that threatened to escape. Her chest hurt. It felt as if her heart itself had been split in two.The villa was quiet around her. Too quiet. She thought she could hear the faint hum of the night insects outside, the steady crash of waves against distant rocks, but inside the walls, silence pressed like a weight.If Leon knew, what would he do? He would go after Gregory. He would destroy him, no matter the cost.And if she confessed, Leon would see her as tainted too. She was Gregory’s daughter, after all. Kael’s words came back to her, sharp as knives: “Blood always finds blood.”Selena wiped her eyes and forced herself to gather the papers ba