The city no longer felt the same. Aria noticed it the moment she stepped out of the car the next morning. The air was heavier, thicker — like something unseen had settled over everything, pressing down quietly but persistently. Even the usual rush of people along the sidewalks seemed muted, as though the world itself was holding its breath.
Beside her, Lucien closed the car door with controlled precision, his expression unreadable. But she had learned him well enough now. He felt it too. Nothing had been normal since the name Elias Blackwood resurfaced. And nothing would be normal again.
“You didn’t sleep,” Aria said as they began walking toward the towering glass building ahead — Blackwood Enterprises. It wasn’t a question.
Lucien adjusted his cufflinks slightly, his movements calm, de
