PART 1: THE CALL THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING
PART 1: THE CALL THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING
The cold outside the hotel entrance felt sharper than it should have.
Not because of the weather.
Because of what had just happened inside.
The glass doors slid shut behind me like a final sentence.
Inside, Marcus was still standing under the chandeliers.
Still smiling.
Still believing he had won.
I didn’t look away from the building.
I simply held the phone to my ear.
My father didn’t waste time.
No questions.
No hesitation.
Only control.
“Confirmed,” he said quietly. “We proceed.”
That was all it took.
Behind me, the hotel lights flickered once.
Not dramatically.
May you like
Systemically.
Like something deep inside the building had just woken up.
