The message did not feel like a threat. It felt like proximity. Seraphina stood in the quiet of her room at Ashford Tower, the glow of the city pressing faintly through the glass behind her. The words on her phone remained unchanged, but the meaning beneath them shifted with every passing second.
Lucien watched her carefully. "He is escalating," he said.
Seraphina did not immediately respond. She read the message again, not because she needed clarity, but because she needed to measure the intent behind it. "No," she said at last. "He is refining."
Lucien's expression tightened. "That is not better."
Seraphina turned toward him. "No," she agreed. "It is not."
Lucien stepped closer. "He knows you are aware," he said. "That changes the dynamic."
Seraphina nodded. "Yes."
Lucien crossed his arms slowly. "And you still cannot see how he is doing it."
Seraphina held his gaze. "No."
Lucien's voice lowered slightly. "Then we assume the worst."
