The city did not celebrate the ruling.
There were no crowds. No chants. No victory speeches.
Instead, Palermo exhaled quietly, like someone released from a long held breath but unsure whether it was safe to inhale fully. The headlines were careful. Legal language softened the outcome. Analysts spoke of precedent without naming the fear that had almost shaped it.
Aria welcomed that restraint.
Attention had never been the goal.
Safety was.
The compound returned to routine with an almost unsettling calm. Guards rotated shifts. Deliveries arrived on time. The gates opened and closed without incident. For the first time in weeks, nothing felt sharpened to a blade.
That quiet frightened Luca more than chaos ever had.
He stood in the security room long after midnight, watching feeds cycle across the monitors. Marcelo sat nearby, coffee untouched, eyes alert.
"He has not moved," Marcelo said quietly. "No messages. No intermediaries. No legal appeals."
