Chapter 4

The silence in the penthouse was suffocating. Callum stood with his arms crossed, waiting for the familiar break in my posture, the tears, the frantic plea for mercy.

"Ten seconds to decide, Nora," Callum pressed, tapping the phone against his palm. "Your reputation, or your pride?"

Before I could speak, the heavy oak door of the penthouse swung open.

Evelyn Shaw stood in the entryway.

She had shed her fur stole, wearing her silver evening gown with a high-end tablet tucked beneath her arm. "Callum, the council members are asking why you haven't -- "

She stopped dead.

Her sharp,…