The moment the fourth figure’s words hung in the air, the room’s tension snapped tighter, cutting through my chest like a blade. Every instinct screamed, every nerve flared, and Adrian’s hand, firm around mine, anchored me just enough to prevent panic from consuming reason. His eyes, cold and calculating, flicked between the intruders and me, analyzing, measuring, deadly. And yet, there was a flicker, imperceptible to anyone else, a shadow of uncertainty that spoke louder than words ever could.
“You don’t understand what you’re walking into,” the fourth figure said, voice smooth, deliberate, venomous. “All your calculations, all your plans, they crumble under the weight of a truth you’ve never seen. And tonight, it will decide everything.”
I swallowed hard, the taste of tension bitter on
