Location: Tavara – Western Hills Estate, Kane Villa
The sound of footsteps echoed through the grand hall of the Kane Villa. Damien stood at the balcony, his gaze resting on the distant horizon as the evening sun melted into a blaze of crimson. A symbolic reflection of what lay ahead—war, blood, and a reshaping of legacies.
Behind him, Lucas entered quietly, a thick file in hand. "It's done. Vos's offshore accounts in the Caymans are frozen. We also traced back payments from one of his shell companies… it's funding several opposition senators under aliases."
Damien's jaw clenched. "Of course it is."
"What's next?" Lucas asked.
"We leak it. But not all at once. Give the opposition just enough to turn on each other. Let them feel the rope tightening."
Lucas raised an eyebrow. "And Nora?"
Damien's shoulders loosened slightly. "She's five moves ahead. She met Rebecca Vale."
Lucas blinked. "You let her meet the media dragon?"
"She didn't just meet her. She fed her."
There was admiration in Lucas's smirk. "Nora's dangerous."
"That's why I chose her."
A moment of silence stretched between them.
"Still," Lucas said carefully, "Vos isn't a man who crumbles. If anything, he'll retaliate."
"I'm counting on it," Damien replied darkly.
He turned and descended the staircase just as Victoria Kane entered, wrapped in a dark velvet shawl. Damien's aunt, sharp and elegant, was one of the few relatives who had survived the family's internal purges with her dignity—and cunning—intact.
"You're stirring storms again, nephew," she said with a sip of brandy. "Do you ever tire?"
Damien met her gaze. "Do you?"
Victoria chuckled, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "I trained you well."
She walked toward him, heels echoing on the marble. "I received a call from the British consortium. They're uneasy. Vos reached out to them. He's trying to shift the narrative—painting himself as the stabilizer, and you as a reckless warmonger."
Damien's eyes darkened. "Let him. That means he's panicking."
Victoria tilted her head. "Or preparing a trap. Your father would have played this differently."
"My father built the empire. I'll defend it."
Victoria's gaze lingered a moment longer before she gave a small nod. "Then make sure your empire doesn't crumble under misplaced loyalty."
She left with the rustle of silk and scent of sandalwood trailing behind her.
Damien turned to Lucas. "Prepare the inner circle. Tighten security. And find out where Vos plans to strike next."
Lucas nodded. "And Nora?"
Damien looked out the window, where a raven landed on the iron gate. "She'll protect what's ours. With steel, if necessary."
In another part of the estate, Nora was in her private library, seated beside a sleeping Elise. Her mind was miles away—on the silent war, on Clara's case file, on the looming shadow of Rebecca Vale's story.
She closed the journal in her lap and whispered into the silence, "They want monsters? Let them meet us in the dark."
Outside, the wind picked up. The game had moved to another level.