The Costa estate had never known quiet like this not the kind born from peace, but from the aftermath of truths dropped like bombs.
Valentina stood on the terrace, the wind teasing strands of her hair. Below, the garden looked serene, almost mocking. Hours ago, Adrian had stormed out after the heated confrontation with Cassiel. No one had dared follow. The weight of the past, the blood debts and betrayals, hung thick in the air.
Inside, the estate was unusually still. Staff moved like ghosts. Zora watched from the hallway, her sharp eyes scanning the walls as if they whispered answers she hadn't yet grasped. Cassiel was back, but not as the Queen Mother they'd once feared. Her power had cracks now hairline fractures that only those closest could see.
In the east wing, Cassiel sat in the
