The kitchen light buzzed overhead like a tired insect.
Vincent had stopped eating the early morning 5 AM treat ; his fork lay abandoned next to a half-cold plate of pasta. The smell of garlic and smoke hung heavy in the air, too thick for comfort. Marcus sat opposite him, elbows on the table, staring at the wall like it owed him answers. Christopher and James hovered in the background james cleaning a gun that didn't need cleaning at all and Christopher? Stalking his little deer with the hidden camera attached in the rose and barely concealed his amused smirk.
The air carried tension the way the old house carried ghosts. Every tick of the clock sounded louder than the last.
Marcus finally spoke, voice low, like he was pulling the words out of a grave.
"After I put Alessandro in the ground," he said, "I took the crown and I swore Sofia would never live in a cage again and no hands will be raised against her. Ever."
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2010 – The Crown and the Cane
