Chapter 4

In the final hours before the countdown hit zero, the entire hillside villa was transformed into a massive construction site.

Edward's efficiency was off the charts.

With a single phone call, a dozen construction teams rolled in, working around the clock in shifts.

On the towering walls, coils of cold, military-grade barbed wire were quickly strung up, followed by high-voltage electric fences. The red skull on the warning signs sent chills down my spine.

The villa's massive, decorative floor-to-ceiling windows were all ripped out and swapped for bulletproof glass so tough, I couldn't even tell you what it's called—rumor has…