A week later, the letters suddenly stopped. Lord Ashby continued his routine normally. He looked more relaxed now.
"It's been five days since the last letter," Maren said during one of their meetings.
"Does he know?" Austin asked, skeptical.
"Not necessarily," Maren replied. "Networks can go silent for many reasons. Like a contact becomes nervous, a route becomes risky. It doesn't mean Ashby knows we're watching him."
"But it means someone got cautious," Alina said.
She looked at the pile of copied letters and payment records on the desk.
"What if he found another way to send messages?" she asked.
"You mean a second route?" Maren asked.
"Can we search his chambers?" Austin asked.
Maren shook her head.
"He'll know," Maren said. "We have no other option other than to wait for him to make his move."
Next day, Maren called Alina to her office for a private meeting without Austin.
"Did you find something?" Alina asked.
