“Not yet?”
The room goes cold. I see the future in the sentence. He’ll go near her. He’ll test. He’ll provoke. Not because he wants her. Because she represents every structure imposed on him and every inheritance slipping away.
He doesn’t need access to become dangerous. He only needs proximity.
I leave before I answer. Not because the conversation is finished. Because further speech gives him material. And Dante lives on material.
In the corridor, Marco closes the door behind us. Luca remains inside for the first hour, as planned. Marco and I walk in silence until the south wing doors close.
Then Marco speaks. “He’s worse.”
“Yes,” I agree.
“Not reformed.”
“No.”
“Desperate.”
“Yes.”
“Alcohol.”
“Yes.”
Marco exhales through his nose. “The council will pretend they don’t see it.”
“They will.”
“Giulio will use any restriction as proof you’re blocking reintegration.”
“He will.”
“And any incident as proof you mismanaged him.”
“Yes.”
Marco stops walking, and so do I.
He looks at me directly. “What’s the objective?”
“What do you see?” I ask.
“Dante is unstable. The council forced the return to weaken your control and test succession pressure. Evie’s here, visible. Pregnant. Twins. Dante resents her, resents them, resents you. He’ll move toward the pressure point.”
“Yes.”
“Then we remove the pressure point.”
“No.”
“North rooms are secure,” he says.
“For now.”
“Move her off the estate.”
“No.”
