LOGINAlthea’s eyes studied the screen in silence.Not scanning.Not searching.But reading.Her fingers moved lightly across the tablet. It was slow at first, almost hesitant, as if deciding whether to go further. The anger from moments ago still lingered in the tension of her shoulders, in the tight line of her jaw, but something else was rising now.Dominic noted that she became focus.Dangerously precise and focus.Dominic didn’t interrupt.For the first time since this began, he simply watched.Minutes passed, silence hanging in the air.“They didn’t just build redundancy.” She finally said, her voice changing. It was calm and cold, stripped of everything emotional.Dominic had heard her speak in operating rooms, steady, composed, authoritative.But this was different. There was no warmth in it.No softness.Only clarity.Dominic stepped closer.“Explain.”Althea didn’t look at him.She pointed. “This node isn’t stabilizing the system.” She said softly. “It’s masking instability.”A be
Dominic finally went back to the war room and the atmosphere immediately shifted with his presence.Enzo had already pulled more data from Luca’s system, projections cascading across the screens. Layers within layers, encryption wrapped around intent like armor.Michael stood close, tracking movement while August studied the structure in silence. Sebastian remained where he always was, watching everything, his eyes moving from side to side.“We don’t have long before he notices the breach, Boss.” Enzo muttered. “Whatever we do, we do it fast.”Dominic stepped forward, eyes locked on the display.“Show me the convergence points.” He ordered firmly.Enzo typed on his keyboard and the system immediately reorganized, the lines intersecting and clusters started to form.It was chaos at the first glance but staring at it longer will make one see that beneath it, there’s order.Dominic’s mind moved quickly, breaking it apart, rebuilding it in his head.There. He thought as his eyes narrowed
Almost two hours had passed and the light inside the medical wing shifted.It was no longer the pale quiet of morning, but something warmer now, fuller, stretching gently across the walls as if the day itself had decided to stay a little longer.Althea had not moved far from Seraphina’s bedside.Not because she needed to but chose to.Their conversation had settled.Both knew that it’s not the end, but reached a place where silence no longer demanded to be filled. Understanding had taken root, quiet and steady, in the space between them.Seraphina, now sitting up, rested more easily now.Not asleep.But no longer carrying the same weight in her eyes.The door opened softly.A small figure appeared at the entrance.Nicholas.He stood there for a moment, as he always did. As always, he will observe first, taking everything in before stepping forward. In one arm, he held his dinosaurs, gathered carefully against his chest. In the other, the wooden knight chess piece.His knight.His eyes
The medical wing was bathed in a pale, early light when Althea entered.Morning had fully broken now, but the quiet here remained unchanged. The wing is still, controlled, suspended somewhere between life and recovery. The steady hum of machines filled the air again, a rhythm she had long since learned to read like a second language.Seraphina Valtieri lay where she had been for days.Unmoving.But no longer unreachable.Althea stepped in without a word, already slipping into that familiar space between detachment and care. She reviewed the monitors first, looking at the heart rate steady, oxygen levels stable, neurological responses beginning to normalize.Good. She thought as she glanced at the tablet she is holding. Very good.She moved closer to the bed, her fingers gentle but precise as she checked pupil response, then reached for her tablet to check the chart at the foot of the bed.“Sedation has been fully tapered.” She murmured to herself as she entered the notes. “No signs of
The attack began before dawn.The sky was still wrapped in darkness when the engines started.Inside the motor court, three matte-black vehicles idled in silence, their headlights off. The cold air carried the faint scent of oil and damp earth as men moved with quiet precision around them.Dominic stood beside the lead vehicle, pulling on a pair of gloves.Sebastian approached him, a tablet in hand.“Patrol rotations have been confirmed.” He said quietly. “Same pattern as yesterday.”Dominic nodded once.“Eight seconds.” He muttered.Sebastian tapped the screen, nodding.“Eight seconds.” He echoed.Across the courtyard, Enzo checked the magazine on his rifle before slinging it across his shoulder.“Just to confirm.” He muttered. “We’re trusting a four-year-old’s map drawing.”His father, Vincent walked past him without slowing together with Antonio.“That four-year-old was right.” Vincent reminded.Enzo sighed.“Great.” He said dryly. “I’ve officially been out strategized by a prescho
Sebastian stood near the map. “You shouldn’t bring him here again.” He said quietly. He remained silent for a long while to let his words sink in. “There will be more of these meetings and a while ago should be his last. It will get darker and deadlier.”Dominic leaned back against the table.“I know.”Sebastian studied him.“Do you?” He questioned intently.Dominic looked toward the spot where Nicholas had drawn his line earlier.“You saw their faces.”Sebastian nodded.“They all realized what he did.” Dominic explained with a sigh. He finally looked at Sebastian directly. “And I know that observation is the problem.”Sebastian crossed his arms.“Exactly.”Dominic rubbed his temples.“He wouldn’t let go of me.” He continued. “I tried leaving him with his mother, but he was adamant. Althea tried to calm him but finally allowed it when he was about to break down.”“He thinks he’s guarding you.” Sebastian observed, allowing himself a faint smile. “After seeing you that night, he’s makin







