By mid-morning, the estate had begun to resemble something closer to a construction site than a battlefield.
Workers and guards moved steadily through the courtyard, clearing debris from the siege and reinforcing the sections of the mansion that had taken the worst damage. Wooden supports had already been placed along the cracked foundation where the ram had struck. A team of engineers examined the structural fractures in the front wall, speaking in quiet, urgent tones.
Vanessa stood at the edge of the courtyard steps, watching everything unfold.
The chaos from the night before had faded into something quieter but no less serious. War did not always roar like gunfire.
Sometimes it sounded like hammers striking wood and low conversations about how long a building might still stand.
Marco joined her again, this time with a tablet in his hand.
"You're going to want to see this," he said.
Vanessa turned slightly.
"What is it?"
Marco held up the screen.
"News."
Vanessa frowned.
