Chapter 27: The Face Behind the Fire
Livia Torres didn't run.
Instead, she invited them in.
An encrypted message was delivered to Declan's server within hours: "You've come this far, Elara. Let's not pretend we don't want the same thing. Meet me. Alone."
"She's baiting you," Killian warned, pacing. "This reeks of a trap."
Elara looked at the message, then at her reflection in the window. "She's not Damon. Livia was always different—calculating, but curious. She studied me like I was more than a test."
"That doesn't make her less dangerous," Declan muttered.
Elara nodded. "Which is why I'm going."
The meeting place was a modern art museum after hours—of all places, serene, open, sterile. Livia stood under a skylight, dressed in sleek white, as if to erase the sins of her past.
"Elara," she said with a smile, as if greeting an old friend. "You've grown."
Elara didn't return the smile. "You should be behind bars."
Livia tilted her head. "I didn't continue Damon's work to hurt people. I evolved it—to fix them. You of all people should understand what potential looks like."
"You think control is the same as healing?" Elara's voice sharpened. "You're just Damon with better branding."
A flicker of annoyance crossed Livia's face. "You're still thinking too small. You burned down one lab, and now you think you can burn down the system? You don't destroy systems, Elara. You replace them."
"I intend to."
And with that, Elara walked away, knowing this was only the beginning of a far more personal war.