The weight of Dante’s words hung in the air like a curse, heavy, suffocating, impossible to escape. Elena’s breath trembled as she stared at him, the truth still sinking in. Someone was coming for her. Tonight. Not tomorrow. Not after negotiations. Not after a warning. Tonight.
She felt the walls close in around her, cold and sharp, as if the mansion itself knew what was coming.
“Dante,” she whispered. “Who is it? Who’s coming?”
He held her shoulders firmly, grounding her before she could spiral. “I don’t know their name yet. But they’re not working alone. Whoever they are, they have supporters, men, spies, people who’ve been feeding information to the families.”
Her fingers curled into his shirt. “Why tonight?”
“Because once the families meet in three days, everything becomes politic
