Chapter 39

The atmosphere in the safehouse was tense. Julian paced the length of the room, his expression unreadable, while Erica stood by the window, her arms crossed over her chest. The dim light outside barely penetrated the heavy curtains, but the shadows seemed to creep into the room, adding to the weight of the moment.

“Ophelia’s reach is farther than we thought,” Julian muttered, his voice low but sharp with frustration. “And now, whoever else is gunning for you, they aren’t just sending warnings. This is about ending things.”

Erica didn’t respond immediately. She had heard the words, but her mind was elsewhere—circling around the chaos of the past few days. The attack in the forest, the gunfight, the message they had intercepted—it all pointed to something bigger than they had anticipated. The documents, her father’s legacy, the list of names. All of it was a part of a larger web, and she was caught right in the center of it.

Julian stopped pacing and turned to face her, his eyes dark wi