The night was quiet. The old mansion stood tall against the dark sky, the smell of smoke still heavy in the air. Inside, everything felt different. The air, the people, even the silence.
Cruz was gone. And in his place stood his son.
Adrian Cruz walked down the hall, his footsteps echoing against the marble floor. Every man he passed lowered his eyes. No one dared to speak. No one dared to ask what had happened in that study.
He reached the main room. The lights were dim. A long table stood in the center, the same one his father used for meetings. Around it sat the men who once obeyed Cruz without question. They looked unsure now — like soldiers without a general.
Adrian stopped by the head of the table, the same chair his father used to sit in. For a moment, he didn’t sit. He just sto
