The room was heavy with anticipation, the air thick with the weight of the unknown. The man who had appeared at the door earlier—his name still a mystery—stood just inside, his eyes scanning the room with an intensity that made me uneasy. His weathered face, framed by graying hair, seemed to have seen more than most people would in a lifetime. His gaze never wavered from Damien, as though he knew exactly who he was dealing with.
I could feel the unease ripple through the room, a tension that was palpable, as Sophie and Lucas flanked us, their eyes shifting between the stranger and Damien. Everyone was on edge. We had all been waiting for something—anything—that could help us dismantle the web that Victor Ashford had been weaving around us for so long. And now, this man appeared, offering pieces of the puzzle we'd been desperately trying to solve.