Third POV
The murmur of the hall gradually softened as the second speaker walked onto the stage.
Soft lights washed over the podium, and the low hum of conversations faded into polite silence.
From the outside, everything appeared perfectly normal, an orderly summit meant for the upliftment of the country proceeding according to schedule.
But Adrian knew better. His sharp gaze swept across the hall again.
As though there was another group of attendees arriving, several important figures that had quietly disappeared from their seats earlier began their return.
Their absence was so subtle that people shouldn't have noticed but that wasn't the case for Adrian.
Living in the midst of danger and having tasted it for several decades of his existence had always kept him on his toes.
And now with Stella's identity and her life seemingly at risk, Adrian doesn't plan to take any chances…no matter how little.
