The council chamber was a room designed for intimidation. High ceilings. Dark stone walls. A long polished table that stretched almost the entire length of the room. Heavy curtains blocked the morning light, letting in only slivers of gold that broke across the floor like fractured glass. The air was thick with the weight of old power, old grudges, and men who built their kingdoms through violence and loyalty.
Luca entered first.
His presence filled the space instantly. Silent authority. Controlled fury. The kind of dominance that did not need to be announced or proven. It simply existed.
Aria followed at his side, her steps steady, her spine straight, her expression calm enough to unsettle even seasoned soldiers. The room shifted as people noticed her. Not with disrespect, but with something sharper. Wariness. Curiosity. The quiet acknowledgment that she was no longer just Luca's wife. She was becoming a force within the DeLuca empire itself.
