The peace they had built over the last year was beautiful, but in their dark world, peace was only a temporary illusion.

Norah sat at the head of a sleek glass conference table in the downtown corporate headquarters of Rossy Enterprises.

She was reviewing the quarterly financial reports for their legitimate shipping company, her brow furrowed in deep concentration.

Something in the numbers was completely wrong, a discrepancy of three million dollars buried deep within the offshore logistics accounts.

She tapped her designer pen against the glass, realizing that someone was quietly siphoning money from the clean side of the syndicate.

The heavy glass doors of the boardroom swung open, and Enzo stepped inside, his massive frame blocking the exit.

He was no longer just Vincent's bodyguard, he was now the head of all security for the entire Rossy empire.

"We need to leave, Norah," Enzo stated flatly, his dark eyes scanning the empty boardroom with intense suspicion.

Norah stood up immediately, leaving the financial files on the table and grabbing her leather briefcase.

She did not ask questions when Enzo used that specific tone of voice, she simply followed his massive shadow to the private elevator.

"Did something happen to Vincent?" Norah asked, her heart suddenly pounding against her ribs like a trapped bird.

"Vincent is secure at the estate, but we received a verified threat targeting the corporate offices," Enzo explained, punching the button for the underground garage.

The elevator descended rapidly, the heavy silence thick with the unspoken tension that Norah had not felt in twelve months.

When the doors opened to the dimly lit parking garage, the air felt suffocating, heavy with the scent of exhaust and damp concrete.

Three armored SUVs were waiting, surrounded by a dozen of Vincent's most elite, heavily armed soldiers.

Norah climbed into the back of the center vehicle, her hands shaking slightly as Enzo slammed the heavy ballistic door shut.

As the convoy sped out into the bright city streets, Norah's phone buzzed with a secure message from an unknown number.

She opened the text, her blood instantly turning to absolute ice in her veins.

It was a picture of her sitting in the boardroom just ten minutes earlier, taken through the reinforced glass window from a neighboring skyscraper.

Beneath the terrifying photograph was a single, chilling sentence.

"The king is healthy, but the queen is completely unprotected."