Chapter 34 - The Stranger in the FoyerTen minutes later, the grand foyer doors swung open.
The young woman stood in the center of the marble entrance hall, flanked by silence. She looked around at the towering pillars, the grand staircase, and the family portraits on the walls with an expression that was entirely unreadable—part curiosity, part profound grief.
I walked down the grand staircase slowly, Dante a half-step behind me, his hand resting reassuringly near his sidearm just in case.
"You didn't need to send a letter through the Ouroboros to get my attention," I said, stopping three steps from the bottom. "You could just knocked."
The young woman turned her gaze upward, locking her dark eyes directly onto mine. Up close, the resemblance was staggering. It was like looking at a ghost of myself from five years ago, wrapped in an aura of quiet, dangerous independence.
"Knocking in our family usually gets you a bullet or a poisoned glass of wine, Mara," she replied, her voice smooth, carrying a faint accent that matched mine from our childhood years in hiding. "I wanted to make sure you were listening."
"Who are you?" Dante demanded, stepping forward to shield me slightly, his presence radiating pure, controlled authority.
May you like
The woman didn't flinch. She met Dante's piercing glare with absolute fearlessness.
"My name is Kira," she said clearly, lifting her chin. "And according to the family records your vault is currently trying to hide... I am your younger sister."
