The Black Rose headquarters had gone quiet in a way that felt unnatural.
It wasn't the usual operational silence, nor was it the quiet calm that settled after a successful raid. This was something far heavier—a silence born from absolute fear. It seeped into the steel walls and crawled beneath skin until every conversation died into a whisper and every footstep echoed like a warning.
Everyone knew why. Their Leader was thinking.
Inside her private executive suite, Arora reclined in her leather chair, one leg crossed neatly over the other. A small black stress ball bounced rhythmically between her fingers while the warm, dim glow of a floor lamp painted sharp shadows across her face.
From the outside, she appeared entirely relaxed. Inside, her mind was executing a brutal tactical audit.
