The silence inside Lucien’s office wasn’t calm — it was oppressive, thick enough to feel like it clung to the skin. It was the kind of silence that doesn't comfort. It warned.
Aria stood near the expansive glass windows, her arms folded tightly as she stared out over the city below. Night had already taken hold, swallowing the last traces of daylight and replacing them with scattered lights — offices still running, cars threading through the streets like veins of motion.
Normally, she would find something grounding in that view. Tonight, it did nothing. Everything felt colder. Heavier.
Behind her, Lucien hadn’t moved. He stood near his desk, still as stone, his presence filling the room even in silence. He hadn’t spoken since they walked in — and that alone told her everything she neede
