CHAPTER 98 — THE COST OF STANDING STILL
Movement did not always announce itself.
Sometimes it arrived disguised as stillness.
Elena sensed it before any report confirmed it—an unease beneath the routine of the estate, a subtle shift in the way silence settled into rooms. The night after clarity had passed, but morning brought no relief. Instead, it carried weight, as though the world itself was pausing, waiting to see who would move first.
She stood in the private dining room, untouched breakfast cooling on the table. The estate staff moved quietly, careful not to intrude. Even they felt it—the change in the air, the invisible tightening of lines.
Standing still was becoming expensive.
Adrian joined her without a word, setting a folder beside her plate. She didn't look at it immediately.
"You feel it too," she said.
"Yes," he replied. "They're watching what we do next."
