Chapter 163 – Daphne POV
It's back on track.
For the first time in what feels like forever, the plan is flowing like water. Clean, sharp, unstoppable. The death toll has ceased climbing. The vultures have retreated. Raffaele is gaining traction. Luciano is posturing like a half-cornered dog, his bark starting to crack beneath the pressure. Grace is holding the social front like a queen in velvet armor. Estela's soft breathing still lingers on my skin from this morning.
Everything is going well.
Luciano and I arrive at the clearing together, our cars pulling up like synchronized dancers. The forest stretches around us—bare trees like bones in the fading light. It's quiet. Still.
I get out of the car, boots crunching on gravel as I spot another black vehicle pulling up nearby. Luciano steps out, his suit crisp, eyes steeled, jaw tight. He doesn't say anything as we walk side by side into the forest clearing.
