The morning sun over the Amalfi Coast was deceptively beautiful, bleeding golden hues across the limestone cliffs and the turquoise expanse of the Tyrrhenian Sea. Inside the villa, the air was cool and smelled of fresh espresso and citrus, masking the lingering scent of salt and cordite from the night before. Kai sat at the small wrought-iron table on the terrace, his posture relaxed, though his eyes remained fixed on the horizon where the surveillance yacht still sat like a silent sentinel.
Elea emerged from the bedroom, her footsteps light on the stone floor. She was dressed in a flowing white linen dress that made her look fragile, almost ethereal, in the morning light. She offered a small, tired smile as she sat across from him, her hands clasping a porcelain cup as if to steady hers
