The doorbell had barely stopped ringing before I knew who it was not.
It wasn’t a messenger. Not a journalist. Not Lucien Vale.
It was someone closer. Someone who had keys to more than just my building. Someone who had access to information I had assumed only I could see.
I froze for half a second. That’s all it took. My instincts told me I was too late.
“Alexander,” Seraphina’s voice came from behind me, soft but sharp. “Be careful. Whoever it is… they are not delivering news. They are testing you.”
I turned slowly, keeping my hands visible. “Testing me how?”
She didn’t answer right away. Her eyes were steady, calculating. I hate that look. I hate it because it always works. It sees straight through me.
“Open the door,” she said.
I hesitated.
“Now,” she said again, firm.
I moved
