The Letter from Milan

Location: Damien's Private Penthouse – Tavara

The city lights of Tavara flickered like stars beneath Damien's penthouse balcony. It was past midnight, but sleep remained an elusive concept. Too many enemies were moving. Too many pieces shifting on the board.

He leaned against the railing, fingers clasped loosely around a glass of dark whiskey. Behind him, the door clicked gently open. Nora stepped into the cool night air, her silk robe catching the breeze, her hair loosely tied as though she'd just risen from a restless nap.

"You haven't slept," she said softly.

"Neither have you," Damien replied without looking back.

Nora moved beside him, slipping her hand into his. "Zachary told me about the resignations. And the Cayman accounts."

Damien's jaw tightened. "Victor's not playing around anymore. Neither can I."

She nodded, but then produced a small envelope from the pocket of her robe. "This came by secure courier. Milan seal. It's from Uncle Rafael."

Damien took the letter and opened it carefully. Inside was a short handwritten note, the strokes urgent and unmistakably coded. Nora leaned in to read as he deciphered it silently.

"The Falcon lands. But not for long. Silver binds his wings, hidden in plain sight. Search beneath the iron statue—legacy lives, if you dare."

"Beneath the iron statue?" Nora asked, puzzled. "What does that mean?"

Damien stared at the message for a moment. "Rafael wouldn't write this unless it was urgent. He once told me the Kane family vault has a mirrored version—their original archives. Hidden during the fall of their Eastern Empire."

Nora's eyes widened. "You think this is a clue to it?"

Damien folded the letter slowly. "I'm sure of it. And if it's true, it may contain every dirty secret Victor doesn't want the world to know."

"You can't go alone," she said firmly. "He might be baiting you."

"I'll take Zachary and Langston. You'll stay here."

Nora shook her head. "Not this time, Damien. I know Milan better than anyone alive. And this—" she tapped the letter, "—was meant for both of us."

He looked at her, studying the fire behind her calm. And slowly, he nodded.

"Then pack. We leave before sunrise."

Beneath the iron statue of Milan… secrets were waiting to be unearthed. And this time, the war between Damien and Victor would take them into the heart of the shadows.