The doors slid shut with a soft click, leaving the penthouse quieter in their absence.
Takoda's eyes immediately dropped to the black card still resting on the table in front of Dakota. Then she looked at Elena, at Erin, and finally back at Dakota with pure excitement.
"Can we go now?"
Dakota looked down at the card, then at the eager little girl beside her, and let out a long, resigned sigh.
Something told her this was going to be a very expensive morning.
-----
The main Nightshade Estate felt unusually restrained that morning.
Unlike the warm, lively atmosphere inside Kade's penthouse, the breakfast hall sat wrapped in polite tension. Long windows overlooked the eastern gardens where sunlight spilled across trimmed hedges and stone pathways. Servants moved quietly between tables with silver trays, carrying the rich scents of coffee and freshly baked bread.
