William knew something was wrong the moment his phone stopped ringing.
For three days, every hour had been filled with updates—security reports, financial alerts, confirmations from allies. Then suddenly… silence. No messages. No briefings. No warnings.
That kind of quiet never meant peace.
It meant preparation.
He stood in his private office at home, sleeves rolled up, jaw tight as he stared at the wall of monitors he’d installed after the last betrayal. Elisse sat on the couch behind him, laptop open, eyes sharp. She had insisted on being involved this time—no more waiting in ignorance, no more being protected by lies.
“She’s isolating you,” Elisse said quietly. “Cutting your lines one by one.”
William nodded. “Sophia never attacks head-on. She poisons the ground first.”
As if sum
