Chapter 54 Back To Base

• Serena
• The heavy gates of Stefano's countryside manor creaked open, the armored SUV rolling in with thick tires crunching over gravel. It was nearly dawn, the first blush of sun bleeding into the steel-blue sky. Fog hung over the estate like a veil. A soft, silent, and strangely reverent cloak.
• Inside the car,Serena sat upright, her gaze trained on the winding drive ahead, her spine rigid, shoulders squared. She looked every inch the soldier she had once trained to become. Next to her, Marco was unusually quiet, his body turned slightly toward her, though his eyes remained forward.