The sky outside Adrian's estate was an ominous shade of gray, mirroring the unease settling deep in Valentina's bones. The rain tapped gently against the windows, but inside the fortress, there was no calm, only the suffocating tension of a war inching closer by the hour.
Valentina stood by the fireplace in Adrian's study, her arms wrapped tightly around herself. The flames offered little warmth tonight. Her mind replayed the revelations from the night before: the DeLucas demanding her return, Adrian's refusal, and the painful truth she'd uncovered about her father's betrayal....Adrian had been manipulated into killing him.
"They’ll strike soon," Adrian said from behind her, his voice low and coarse. He was seated at the edge of his desk, gun in hand, inspecting it with mechanical focus.
