~ Lucien ~
I sit in the glow of three monitors, the blue light washing over the dark wood of my home office. On the left screen, a digital map tracks a small, pulsing dot—the GPS in Seraphina’s car. On the center screen, a silent feed from a discreet camera across the street from the Vale penthouse shows the front entrance. On the right, a series of encrypted chat logs from Adrian’s personal server scroll by in real-time.
I feel a tight, buzzing tension in my chest as I watch the dot on the map. It is anxiety. I am worried that Adrian will strike while I am not there to stop him. For a man who built his life on being calm, this feeling is annoying. It is a distraction from the logic I usually rely on.
I reach out and tap a key, opening a folder labeled VALE-CUSTODY. Inside are fifteen d
