Vespera's body had remained in the preservation vault at the metropolitan mortuary for three full days.
During those three days, Cassian had stayed sequestered inside the Thorne estate.
To an outside observer, he had done absolutely nothing.
Behind closed doors, however, he had directed Arthur to execute every logistical and legal maneuver with flawless precision.
Once the legal proceedings against Vivienne Vance and the liquidation of the Kane Corporation were finalized, the morning of Vespera's private burial arrived.
At Greenwood Memorial Park, dressed in a tailored black overcoat, Cassian knelt on one knee upon the rain-dampened stone ground, carefully lowering Vespera's marble urn into the burial chamber with his own hands.
When he straightened, the antique white agarwood bracel
