Chapter 59 The Final Game

• The tension in the air was palpable, thick enough to suffocate anyone who dared to breathe too deeply. The estate had become a fortress of quiet chaos, a place where even the walls seemed to hold their breath, waiting for the inevitable storm to arrive. The warning in the letter Damien had received the night before had done nothing but ignite the flames of urgency within him.
• Ivy stood by the window in her bedroom, staring out at the sprawling grounds below, her eyes tracing the path of the winding river that ran through the estate, as if the sight could ground her in the midst of the storm she now found herself trapped in. The wind rustled the trees, and for a fleeting moment, she thought she might hear the whispers of the outside world—of the danger lurking just beyond the gates, closing in with each passing hour.
• It felt like the calm before a war.