Liana’s POV
The evidence glows on the screen between us, Elia’s voice, trembling and raw, echoing from the tiny laptop speaker.
“Stanley, please. I want out. Let me go. I’ll disappear forever.”
The sound cuts through the glass walls of Stanley’s office like a blade. Outside, the city bleeds gold and shadow, the skyline reflected in the windows of Z-Core Tower. Inside, it’s too quiet. The kind of silence that comes before something shatters.
Stanley leans back in his chair, eyes closed, fingers steepled. For the first time since I’ve known him, he looks old. Not tired, haunted.
When the audio ends, I don’t speak right away. I let the silence do the work.
“I found that in the drives Dominic recovered from Elia’s grave,” I finally say. My voice is steady, but my pulse hammers against m
