The threat did not arrive with the dramatic flair of a cinematic villain. It didn't come with a shouted ultimatum or a theatrical display of force. It arrived the way real, professional danger always does—quietly, efficiently, and with the chilling confidence that it would never be traced back to its source.
Victoria noticed the shift the moment she stepped through the heavy oak doors of the Grey townhouse. It wasn't paranoia; it was an environmental awareness she had honed in the silence of the warehouse. She had learned to listen to absence. She noticed the way the hallway felt too empty, the air too still. The doorman’s greeting was precise, but his eyes hesitated for a fraction of a second too long. Even the security chief, a man who usually met her gaze with unflinching iron, looked
