He fought to maintain his composure, forcing himself to think. The loss was catastrophic, but his mind—trained by years of survival and leadership—couldn't stop calculating. Who would benefit from this? The Shawe family? The Essen family? But no, this attack was too brazen, too obvious. It felt like someone wanted them to suspect each other.
Or perhaps it was a rival merchant house, jealous of the Welcome Trading Company's rise. Someone ruthless enough to wipe out an entire caravan to erase all witnesses.
And that led to the most chilling question of all: How had they known?
The shipment's details—timing, route, and even the guards—had been kept secret. Could there have been a traitor? An insider feeding information to the attackers?
The thoughts swirled endlessly, offering no answers, only deepening the despair.
