Chapter 2 - The Call
“Snatch the phone from her!”
Victoria Cross’s voice cut through the room like a blade.
She stood abruptly, her chair scraping loudly against the marble floor. Her elegant gray dress swayed as she clutched at her chest, panic distorting her carefully maintained composure. The diamond necklace around her neck trembled with each shallow breath.
“This is not a game!” she hissed, eyes wide with something close to fear.
Daniel hesitated.
It was the hesitation of a man who had expected control and suddenly found himself without it. He looked at Elara again—really looked this time.
She was bleeding.
But she was also smiling.
Not openly. Not dramatically. Just a faint, knowing curve at the corner of her lips.
It unsettled him more than the silence.
“Give me the phone,” he demanded, stepping forward again.
Elara tilted her head slightly, as if considering the request. A drop of blood fell onto the table, staining the white cloth.
“You already made your move,” she said quietly. “This is mine.”
Her voice was steady, almost gentle.
Daniel reached out—
But stopped.
Because in that instant, something shifted.
May you like
It wasn’t inside the room.
It was outside.
