(Ruby's POV)
The morning is quiet, almost too quiet.
I'm sitting on the porch steps with Nicholas, watching the sun climb over the hills. The sky is blue, the air is cold, and for the first time in months, I feel like I can breathe.
But the peace doesn't last.
My phone buzzes. Anya.
"Ruby, turn on the news."
My heart sinks. "What happened?"
"Kai's men. They're not done. They've set fire to the manor. The whole west wing is burning."
I stand up, my legs shaking. "The evidence. The files. The paintings."
"Gone. All of it."
Nicholas is beside me, reading the screen over my shoulder. His face is pale, his jaw tight.
"We have to go," he says.
"Nicholas, there's nothing we can do. The fire department is already there."
"I don't care about the building." He looks at me. "There's something in the west wing. Something Kai doesn't want us to find."
"What?"
"I don't know. But I need to see it before it burns."
---
The drive to the manor takes two hours.
