The fragile peace inside the estate shattered two nights later.

It was shortly past midnight when a sharp, deafening explosion rocked the north wing of the mansion. The glass doors of my balcony shattered inward, raining crystalline shards across the hardwood floor. Red emergency lights instantly flooded the hallway outside my bedroom, accompanied by the blare of silent security alarms flashing across the ceiling.

Before I could process the panic, my bedroom door burst open. Stefano ran in, wearing dark tactical gear with a drawn sidearm in his right hand.

"Stay down!" he commanded, crossing the room in two long strides and pulling me up from the bed. He grabbed a heavy Kevlar coat from his shoulder and threw it around my nightgown. "Julian’s men breached the outer perimeter gate with a vehicle bomb. We need to move now."

"What about the guards?" I screamed over the sound of automatic gunfire echoing from the lower floor.

"Marco is holding the central staircase," Stefano said calmly, his hand gripping mine with crushing strength as he led me into a hidden service corridor behind the library wall. "We have a secure tunnel that leads to the boathouse."

We hurried down a narrow spiral staircase built into the stone core of the estate. Darkness enveloped us, saved only by the faint glow of Stefano’s tactical flashlight guiding our feet. Behind us, the sounds of breaching charges and muffled shouting echoed down the shaft.

As we reached the bottom of the stairs, a heavy metal door gave way at the far end of the underground corridor. Two armed men in black combat gear stepped through, raising their rifles toward us.

In one fluid, practiced motion, Stefano pushed me behind a stone pillar and raised his weapon. The thunderous cracks of his handgun echoed deafeningly in the tight space. Both intruders collapsed to the concrete floor before they could fire a single shot.

Stefano didn't pause. He grabbed my arm, pulling me past the fallen men, and shoved open the heavy iron door at the end of the tunnel.

Night air hit us instantly, along with the roar of the lake's churning waters. Tied to the small wooden dock was a high-powered matte-black speedboat. Stefano unhooked the mooring lines, tossed me into the passenger seat, and jumped behind the controls. The engine roared to life with a deep, guttural growl just as light from flashlight beams spilled out of the tunnel mouth behind us.

Gunfire peppered the water around us, splinters flying off the dock as Stefano slammed the throttle forward. The boat surged into the open lake, tearing through the mist and darkness, leaving the burning estate behind.

I looked back at the flames lighting up the night sky, my hands shaking uncontrollably inside the oversized Kevlar coat. Stefano kept one hand firmly on the steering wheel while his other reached across the central console to take my trembling hand.

"I promised you that you wouldn't die on my watch, Clara," he said, his voice cut through the roaring wind with absolute certainty. "Now the game changes. We stop running, and we end the Valentis once and for all."