Chapter 24 Whispers And War

• Sunlight flooded the windows of the estate in the mornings, but peace of mind was a fantasy.
• Servants scurried downstairs in unusual quiet. The commands brief, the glances bitter. They sensed it—the strain in the walls, the dread hanging in the air like a cloud. Something had changed. And whatever it was… wasn't complete.
• Luca was sitting alone at the table, unused espresso congealing on his arm. Eyes lost in space, jaw set like a boulder. Not even Isabella's silent seat at the back could cool the storm brewing within.