CHAPTER 83 — WHEN THE GROUND SHIFTS QUIETLY
The aftermath of the meeting did not arrive with chaos.
That was what unsettled Elena the most.
No breaking news alerts.
No dramatic market crashes.
No anonymous threats delivered in the night.
Instead, there was silence.
A deliberate, watchful silence that stretched through the early hours of morning, settling into the Kane residence like a held breath. Elena woke before dawn, the city still dark beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, her mind already awake, already working.
Victor Hale never struck immediately.
He observed first.
She slipped out of bed quietly, careful not to wake Adrian, and crossed to the balcony. The air was cool, carrying the faint scent of rain from the river below. The city lights shimmered like distant stars, indifferent to the quiet war unfolding within their glow.
This was the moment between moves.
The most dangerous one.
"You're thinking too loudly."
Adrian's voice came from behind her.
