[POV: Sofia Lanka]

"Put the photo down, Zara. Now. Take your brother and sister into the medical wing and do not come out until Alistair gives you the override code. Do it now, and don't look back."

Sofia’s voice didn't crack, but the wine glass in her hand was shaking with a subtle, high-frequency vibration that had nothing to do with her nerves. It was the air itself. The atmosphere in the Mediterranean villa had shifted from the salt-heavy warmth of a summer evening to a dry, sterile chill that tasted of liquid nitrogen and static. She didn't need to look at the man in the garden to know he...