2026-01-23 20:36:32
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CHAPTER 802
"Perhaps he’s finally realized he can't fight the council alone," one guest suggested, though his voice lacked conviction."Tedmond Washington doesn't realize he needs help; he realizes he needs targets," a younger heir countered, eyes fixed on the entrance. "Think about the timing. He’s been purging the secondary branches for days.”“If he shows up here, in the heart of the Moretti estate, he’s either surrendering, or he’s bringing the fire to the front door. And Tedmond doesn't know how to surrender."The murmurs grew in volume, a low, tectonic vibration that filled the crystalline space. In the rigid hierarchy of the city, the Washingtons were the sun: distant, burning, and singular. They didn't orbit other families; they didn't attend parties; they merely allowed them to happen. The fact that the black-suited Washington was breaking his years-long social exile for the family that had facilitated his mother’s kidnapping made the champagne taste like vinegar to those who understo
CHAPTER 801
She grabbed his face, forcing him to meet her stare. "Because if the Glass Pavilion ends with you still looking at them and me still hiding in a hoodie, I might just break the glass myself."The Architect reached up, his large hands covering hers and pinning them to his cheeks. He looked amused, a man watching a beautiful, dangerous storm."Millicent is a debt, Daphne. Persis is a variable," he whispered, his voice smooth and hypnotic. "But you... you are the prize. The Washingtons and the Morettis are fighting over the past. We are the only ones looking at the future."He pulled her closer until their foreheads rested together."Tomorrow night, the hiding ends. When the pavilion falls, we won't be in the wreckage. We’ll be the only ones left standing on the shore. Is that enough, or do I need to prove it again?"Searching his face, Daphne felt the jealousy remain like a bitter coal in her chest, but the promise in his eyes was a drug she couldn't refuse."Prove it," she challenged,
CHAPTER 800
Silence stretched between them. Daphne’s eyes scanned the gloom, searching for the source of the voice and the spot where he sat."Guests arrive at the front door," the voice crackled. "Assets come through the back."Wiping a smudge of concrete dust from her cheek, Daphne narrowed her eyes against the harsh, artificial glare.She didn’t look like a victim; she looked like a woman who had finally secured the right coordinates."Assets?" A sharp, breathless laugh rang against the metallic walls. "Is that what I am now? After everything I risked to get past Beatrix’s little army?"Rising to her feet, she moved with the fluid, predatory grace of a hunter. She didn't wait for an invitation; instead, she stalked toward the edge of the spotlight’s reach to peer into the velvet blackness of the far corner."Where are you?" Her voice dropped into a low, intimate hum. "The digitized voice was a nice touch, but it’s getting old. I didn’t run through the docks to talk to a speaker."A soft click
CHAPTER 800
Silence stretched between them. Daphne’s eyes scanned the gloom, searching for the source of the voice and the spot where he sat."Guests arrive at the front door," the voice crackled. "Assets come through the back."Wiping a smudge of concrete dust from her cheek, Daphne narrowed her eyes against the harsh, artificial glare.She didn’t look like a victim; she looked like a woman who had finally secured the right coordinates."Assets?" A sharp, breathless laugh rang against the metallic walls. "Is that what I am now? After everything I risked to get past Beatrix’s little army?"Rising to her feet, she moved with the fluid, predatory grace of a hunter. She didn't wait for an invitation; instead, she stalked toward the edge of the spotlight’s reach to peer into the velvet blackness of the far corner."Where are you?" Her voice dropped into a low, intimate hum. "The digitized voice was a nice touch, but it’s getting old. I didn’t run through the docks to talk to a speaker."A soft click
CHAPTER 799
Tedmond’s gaze turned serious, a slight frown touching his face. Though he knew the risks, he wasn't going to let the families walk over his own, begging for mercy. He was beginning to wonder if this entire cycle of violence had been fueled by the lack of a true successor in the past. He was determined to settle the score before Bianca reached adulthood or he had children of his own."I know it’s dangerous, Thomas," Tedmond said, finally meeting the old man’s eyes. A slow, predatory grin spread across his face, a look of pure, unadulterated mischief that didn't belong on a man of his standing."That’s exactly why I’m going. They spent years hiding in the shadows of the Mediterranean, playing God with my mother's life. Now, they’ve invited the devil to their dinner table because they think they can control the seating chart."He let out a short, sharp bark of a laugh. "They think they’ve invited a guest. They don't realize they’ve invited the consequence."Persis stepped forward,
CHAPTER 798
The heavy doors of the dining room creaked open with a groan that echoed the tension still hanging in the air. Thomas stepped inside, his expression unreadable, his gloved hands carrying a silver tray. Upon it sat a single envelope of thick, cream-colored vellum, sealed with deep crimson wax: a stylized waves-and-anchor crest.Tedmond didn’t even look up from the map he had been mentally burning into the table. "I told you I was leaving, Thomas. Unless that tray contains the Architect’s severed head, take it away.""I’m afraid it is a different kind of head, Master Tedmond," Thomas said, his voice as smooth as polished bone. He moved to the side of the table, lowering the tray just enough for the light to catch the gold-embossed lettering. "An invitation. Hand-delivered by a courier who looked far too much like a soldier to be a simple messenger."Tedmond’s hand froze. He reached out, snatching the envelope and tearing it open with a violence that sent the wax seal skittering acr
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