CHAPTER 22 — BLOODLESS WAR
War did not always announce itself with gunfire.
Sometimes, it arrived dressed as courtesy.
That was how Amara understood it now — standing in the center of Alessandro’s world as invisible blades were drawn all around them. Gianni’s removal had shattered something fundamental. Not order.
Illusion.
There was no pretending unity existed anymore.
The estate remained calm, but calm was no longer peace. It was preparation.
THE DAY AFTER BETRAYAL
Morning came without relief.
Amara woke before dawn, the weight of the previous night still pressing against her chest. Gianni’s face lingered in her mind — not angry, not desperate.
Certain.
That certainty unsettled her more than rage ever could.
She dressed quietly and stepped into the corridor, where guards nodd
