Chapter 48

Alessandro

The estate hadn’t just aged—it was now rotten too, and in even worse shape than I expected. The once-tall mansion was now a shadow of itself; even the receding sun couldn’t help bring out a little shine from the miserable building. Decayed ivy climbed the walls, and I could very well make out the dark spots hedged underneath. If there was one thing still presentable about the damn place, it was the fact that it was still standing. It was also proof that a fresh coat of paint could actually do more wonders than one thought possible.

Beneath all of the desperate efforts to patch the damned place up, I could still see the cracks underneath it. The house reeked of betrayal, and if it was up to me, I wouldn’t ever step foot in here again. But if I wanted to achieve all that I’d set out to, then this was just going to be one of those hard but necessary decisions to make.

My mind darted back to the p