The captain's words lingered in Daniella's mind long after the radios had gone quiet.
Most people only see the family.
They never see what protects it.
Standing at the edge of the training grounds, she watched the shadow guards return to their routines as though nothing unusual had happened. Moments earlier, the entire compound had shifted into a state of readiness. Orders had moved through the ranks without hesitation. Vehicles had mobilized. Men had appeared from positions she hadn't even noticed before.
Now everything had settled.
The shooting lanes were active again. Sparring matches resumed across the open fields. Instructors barked corrections while guards rotated through drills with the same discipline they had displayed during the alert.
What held her attention wasn't the weapons or the physical training.
It was the professionalism.
Nobody celebrated the successful response.
Nobody complained about the false alarm.
