You said my father had you removed," he said. "Twenty years ago."
Vayne said nothing. Waiting.
"I want to know how." His voice was controlled. Deliberate. "Specifically."
Vayne studied him for a moment. Whatever he was looking for in Varder's face, he seemed to find enough of it.
"I came back to the country quietly," he said. "I made contact with Denton because I thought he was a neutral party. Someone with enough distance from the situation to help me reach Ava's mother without causing damage." A pause. "Within a week I had men at my door. Not violent. Nothing that left marks. Just — pressure. The kind that comes from someone with enough reach to make every door close at once. Accounts frozen. Allies suddenly unavailable. The message was clear enough without anyone having to say it out loud."
"And you left."
