The mansion was still wrapped in smoke and silence when Luca found her standing at the balcony, her wedding dress torn, her eyes fixed on the blood-red horizon. The sun was rising over a city that had witnessed too much, and yet, in that moment, Aria looked like its defiant queen, battle-worn, unbowed, and unbroken.
"Everyone's secured," Luca said quietly behind her. "The Romanos pulled back before the police arrived."
Aria didn't turn. "And Matteo?"
"Gone." His voice was edged with restrained fury. "He knew exactly how far to push before retreating. This was never about killing us, it was a declaration."
She exhaled slowly, her fingers gripping the cold railing. "Then let's respond in kind."
Luca stepped closer, studying her profile in the soft dawn light. She was trembling, but it wasn't fear, it was adrenaline, determination, something fierce that had awakened inside her since the attack.
"You want war," he said, almost as if testing her resolve.
