pte

Bryan's p

ht dropped into his stomach, the same weight that had sat th

dfat

desk, noticed the change on Bryan's f

cked across the office and bounced off the glass. He hated how

ands, palms out. "

, and it shut behind

He drew a slow breath through his nose, wiped the anger off his face

able," Jake said. His voice was rough with

ave

up and

glass wall and stared at the city below. His fingers drummed once on the armrest, then w

down the line. "Do not make me come to the company, Bryan. You

had built, his grandfather could shrink him with one sentence. He sa

I told you abo

in pro

ould be expectin

ea

Jake said, and th

city and did not move for a long time. Anger burned in his chest, but un

, Paul, had thrown that deadline in front of the whole bo

ee what Bryan had done about it. The thought left him feeling

for a long moment, his thumb hovering over the screen. His stomach tightened. Behind that name was a woman he barel

lanned to us

presse

...

om with a ceiling fan that squeaked with every turn. Stacks of files l

another towards her. Each page felt heavier than the last

the corner of this one," the

hough no one was watching. She pressed her other hand on top of it to steady it and took a slow breath. Her m

n, her p

ead curled through her. She quickly signed the rest of

el

ryan said. "We have a

the phone until her knuck

ne wen

n a day, and he had already decided that she would sit at a table with pe

hered to ask if she was free. The thought stung more than she expected. She had

k called from inside. "

wrong date. She crossed it out and wrote the right one, her face burning

wly to the ward. Her legs felt heavier with every

s clasped tightly together. Her eyes were red

came

. It came out sharper than she mean

hone in Celine's han

her bag. "His family is having

ir scraped against the floor, and the sound made Celine flinch

e, don

o choose." Her voice broke on the l

isten to me. The

lying still on the white sheets, the machine beeping beside her. Her thr

he said nothing as Celine bent down, kissed her mother's forehead, and

o the chair and pressed a hand over her

he bed, though there was no answer. The silen

. She didn't look at it. Sh

..

ed her front door open, the house greeted her with a stale, closed-i

tayed dim even in the afternoon. She crossed the room and pushed the windows open one after another. Rays

bedroom and sat on

st of them were old and worn out. A small, familiar embarrassm

. She had worn it only once, and it still looked new. She pulled it out and held it against herself in the

ly d

transferred to a high-class hospital, and she inhaled deeply, her shou

anything possible to do whatever Bryan told her to do. She held on

s on the bed and wen

...

nd a glass wall. He was in his early eighties,

an wa

s personal servant, who was

Palmer turne

e my p

r a phone on a table, and placed it in J

er, and the call co

oice rang out, too

poken t

roud and stubborn," Paul said angrily. "He

o come," Jak

Paul's voice shook. The shock had

re you come on time,"

. He dialled another number, and

ald's voice c

you so long

t reach

all

, Fa

calm never sat right with him, but he let it go. "Dinner at t

ot

ke nodded

nd the silence pressed on his ears. He did not drink right away. He turned the glass slowly on the table

n,

t door f

Pa

His face was red, as if he had run the whole street, a

man call you?

did not

at stubborn fool, whom I called, and he said he won't be coming. I have no idea what Father tol

ok a sip

down, seemingly relaxed, when he knows what's at stake. He is... is... ugh! Can you say somet

ly spoke. "Q

yes showing frustration.

s down and shrugged

slowly taking all the power, and y

Donald s

drained out of him all at once and left him hollow. For a while he said n

low now, and it shook with something close to terror. "I won't be

his face showing no emotion.

s eyes bright with a hard, dangerous

w. "You should head back to your house and

aul said, and walke

d. A thin, bitter smile crossed his face. "But reme

ened the door an

gging on his lips. It was not a kind smile,

e and dialled a num

," he w