Chapter 25

• Evening had settled over the estate like a heavy curtain. The mansion’s glass panels reflected the fading hues of the sun, now melting into a moody stretch of twilight. Security lights lined the driveway and garden paths, casting long, clean lines of white across the marble steps and walls. Inside, the house hummed faintly, air systems, automated timers, and distant footsteps on tile.
• Dante returned just after seven.
• He didn’t speak as he entered the house. His face was unreadable, sharp with quiet rage. He barely acknowledged the butler who greeted him, his strides long and purposeful as he made his way through the wide hallway and into the main lounge. He paused only to remove his watch, placing it down on a console table with slow precision, then he reached for his phone, dialled a number and gave one instruction: