Chapter 29

The wind howled outside the car as Julian sped back into the city, the night stretching ahead of them like a dark tunnel. The streets were nearly empty, the occasional passing car or pedestrian just a blur against the window. Erica sat in the passenger seat, staring down at the notebook in her hands, her father’s handwriting etched into the pages like a ghost from the past.

Each name in the list felt like a weight, and Ophelia’s at the top was a cold reminder of just how deep her influence ran. Erica’s chest tightened. All this time, her father had known what Ophelia was capable of. He had been collecting evidence, trying to protect everything he had built—and now, it was up to her to finish what he had started.

Julian glanced over at her. “You okay?”

She nodded, but the truth was, she wasn’t. The list felt like a ticking time bomb, and the more she looked at it, the more she realized how close they were to something catastrophic. “How long do you think we have before Ophelia figures