The aftermath of the confrontation left the manor in a state of eerie, hollow silence. Gillian stood on the stone balcony of his bedroom, his lungs burning as he pulled the cool night air into his chest. Below him, the sprawling grounds of the estate were bathed in the pale, indifferent glow of the moonlight. He could see the faint traces of the damage from the previous night, the scorched patches of grass and the shattered remnants of his perimeter fence, but his attention was tethered to the interior of the house. Inside the living room, Ghea finally slept.
He had spent the last few hours pacing the perimeter of the room, his mind a whirlwind of conflicting thoughts. He had spent his entire life viewing people as variables, as assets to be managed or threats to be neutralized. Ghea ha
