Meet the characters
Damian
Damian Cesarini is the still point around which the world of The Umbra Collective turns — a man of formidable control, old-world manners, and the kind of quiet authority that does not need to be announced. Descended from Venetian nobility, he carries the legacy of the Cesarini line not as nostalgia, but as leverage — a tool to shape the modern world’s hidden hierarchies.
Educated across Europe, fluent in politics, economics, and the aesthetics of power, Damian embodies the intersection of intellect and ruthlessness. His Loro Piana suits and private jets are not vanity; they are armor. Every gesture, every pause is curated precision. Beneath the veneer lies the strategist — a man who weighs loyalty like currency and treats sentiment as both weakness and weapon.
To those beneath him, Damian is both patron and executioner. His affection is rare, his forgiveness rarer. Yet, with Evie, there is something quieter — an instinct to protect what he sees as potential. Whether that stems from love, guilt, or legacy is the question the book leaves unresolved.
Codename: The Doge
Origin: Depends on the Passport
Education: Lower Canada College, Sciences-Po, Ca' Foscari, London School of Economics, Classified Military Training
Affiliation: Inner Council
Evangline
Evie Blackstone’s story is one of ascent — from a quiet, restless orphan in Montreal to one of the most formidable operatives in the Umbra Collective. Her elegance conceals a mind sharpened by necessity, her composure forged in betrayal and survival.
She is a woman who has learned to weaponize restraint. Every glance, every word is a calculation — yet beneath that lies a deep humanity that refuses to die, no matter how much her world demands its burial. Her relationship with Damian is the axis of her evolution: mentor and protégé, command and defiance, a dangerous bond that exists somewhere between devotion and rebellion.
Her mistakes — notably the Heathrow incident — are not failures of skill but of heart. Seen in that light, her arc becomes a meditation on control: the battle between what she feels and what her world requires her to suppress. When she moves through Venice, Rome, or Cham, it is as a study in grace under permanent surveillance — a woman constantly measuring her own survival against her loyalty.
Codename: Obsidian
Origin: Montreal, Canada
Education: McGill, Oxford (Rhodes Scholar, Political Science)
Affiliation: The Umbra Collective (Ghost)
Rayne
Rayne is the embodiment of efficiency, the ghost who leaves no trace. Trained in stealth and control, she moves through airports, boardrooms, and luxury hotels like smoke through a lock. Where others burn with intent, Rayne cools the air around her. Her kills are immaculate, her routines almost ceremonial.
Her hits have become legend within the network. Over time, the stories have blurred into myth, and few now know where fact ends and invention begins, though the invention is never far from the truth.
Her discipline borders on ritual. Beneath it lies a quiet grief, fragments of the lives she has taken and the one she surrendered to serve the Collective. For all her control, her humanity seeps through the cracks.
She is Damian’s perfect weapon, and in many ways, the most expendable proof of his design.
Codename: Sparrow
Origin: London, England
Affiliation: The Umbra Collective (Ghost))
Big Al
Al is the rarest kind of operative: one who can make a room laugh while plotting its collapse. Charismatic, acerbic, and loyal to a fault, he stands beside Damian not as subordinate but as counterpart — the other half of the strategy that keeps Umbra alive.
Where Damian governs through restraint, Al governs through motion — a man who thrives on risk and charm. Beneath his wit lies a depth of conviction few ever see. His friendship with Damian is both conscience and brotherhood, forged in the years of life and death operations.
Codename: Harlequin
Origin: Abbey Wood, London, UK
Education: The streets of London, SAS Training Institute, Credenhill,
Affiliation: Could be Inner Council but no one is sure as Al doesn't go to meetings
Lukas
Lukas Steinbrecher is the kind of man empires rely upon — disciplined, loyal, unflinching. A veteran of the Cold War shadow fronts, he brings military precision to domestic service, embodying the paradox at the heart of Umbra: civility masking violence.
To the world, he is Damian’s valet. In truth, he is his shield, his conscience/. Lukas moves through the novel like a ghost of old Europe — sharp, restrained, and deeply principled. His affection for Evie is paternal, his loyalty to Damian absolute, though not blind.
He is the quiet observer of power — a man who understands that service, in its purest form, can be both devotion and damnation.
Codename: Stonebreaker
Origin: Graz, Austria
Background: Former Austrian Special Forces; Valet and Steward to Damian
Visit the locations
Damian and Evie's London base of operations
Damian's favorite restaurant in Venice
Where Evie learned to drive Seraphina
“Loyalty is the only currency that never loses its value in the dark.”
--Unknown
Meet the Author
Welcome to The Linen Room, a space dedicated to sharing the inspiration and stories behind the books. Join me on this literary journey as I delve into the depths of imagination and creativity.
As an author, I aim to create compelling narratives that captivate the hearts and minds of readers. Through my writing, I strive to evoke emotions, spark conversations, and transport individuals to extraordinary realms. My works are a reflection of my passion for storytelling and the boundless power of literature.
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