The mansion felt more silent than normal, a quiet filled with worry instead of calm. The guards stood up taller, watching more carefully, and every door looked like someone was hiding nearby. Dante's order to make the security stronger had turned the property into a safe place.
For Isla, it felt like she was trapped. Everywhere she went, someone was watching her. Even when she sat by the big windows, looking at the large piece of land outside, she felt like they were always there. She felt like she couldn't be free.
But something inside her had changed. Just staying alive wasn't enough anymore. This idea, which she thought to herself when her room was quiet, had become important to her. If she had to live in Dante's world, she wouldn't be weak.
That morning, Dante himself came to see her. He didn't ask if she was ready. He never did that. He just walked into her room, wearing a dark suit that smelled like leather and smoke, and said, "You are coming with me."
