SERENA POV
"She read the reply," Luca said, his voice raw with exhaustion at four in the morning. "She has not responded."
"She won't," I said, rubbing the tension from my temples before closing my laptop with a definitive click. "Not tonight. She is reassessing. The weapon she saved for four years just misfired, and she needs to understand why before she makes her next move."
"Which buys us time," Adriano said.
"Yes. Not much, but enough to breathe."
The kitchen had been a war room for six straight hours. Yuna had given in to her fatigue and slipped away to the guest room an hour ago. Luca was still tethered to his screen, but his keystrokes had slowed to a heavy, rhythmic tap. Marco had already gone home with strict instructions for the morning.
Now, it was just the two of us.
I l
