Aria’s POV
The sun had barely risen, but the estate already hummed with quiet urgency. I could feel it in the air tense, charged, and impossible to ignore. Rico moved through the halls with a precision I had come to recognize as instinct, issuing orders, checking communications, and running through every scenario in his mind. Even in the early morning light, he was a storm contained in human form, steel-gray eyes flicking from screen to screen, calculating, anticipating.
I watched him from the doorway of our room, arms crossed over my chest, heart pounding with a mixture of anxiety and determination. Today, Caspian’s moves were no longer subtle. He had left a breadcrumb trail we could follow, but it was a deliberate challenge a gauntlet he expected us to run blindly.
“I need you ready,”
