The new, fragile understanding between Demetri and Sasha, built on Nora’s foundation of lies, began to bear strange fruit. Sasha’s art shifted. The chaotic, violent slashes of colour gave way to more structured, intense pieces. One, a stunning oil painting, depicted the Obsidian Tower not as a shard of glass, but as a bastion of dark light against a swirling, oppressive storm. It was a defense of her father’s fortress, a visual representation of her changing perception.
Demetri, in turn, began to delegate. For the first time, he trusted his second-in-command to handle a major acquisition in Singapore, choosing to spend the time reviewing Sasha’s portfolio with a critic’s eye and a surprisingly gentle hand. He was learning to be a father, and Nora’s heart ached with a bittersweet pain ever
