The sound came from beyond the eastern wall.
Not loud.
Not crashing.
Just a single step.
But every light in the mansion dimmed.
Denise felt it immediately.
The entire structure seemed to inhale.
Liam’s hand tightened around her wrist.
Not enough to hurt.
Enough to anchor.
His eyes had gone distant again.
Listening.
Calculating.
Something she couldn’t hear.
Something she wasn’t supposed to hear.
“What was that?” she whispered.
Liam didn’t answer.
Outside, another step.
Closer.
The chandeliers flickered.
A cold pressure rolled through the hall like an invisible tide.
The servants froze where they stood.
One dropped a silver tray.
The crash echoed.
Nobody moved to pick it up.
Nobody even looked.
Their attention was fixed on the eastern side of the mansion.
As if eve
