Inside the car, Roseline sat rigidly, her eyes glued to the phone in her hand. Message after message from Ester glared back at her, each one more threatening than the last.
Ever since Roseline had failed to follow through with Ester's earlier demand, the woman had grown desperate—reckless even. The polite warnings had turned into outright threats.
Roseline's lips pressed into a thin line.
She had tried. Truly tried.
She had approached Hugo carefully. She had tried reasoning with Daniel. But both encounters had ended in cold rejection, suspicion etched clearly in their eyes. Instead of protecting them, she had ended up placing herself under scrutiny.
Her phone buzzed again.
You are testing my patience, Roseline. If you don't do as I say, I'll have no choice but to expose you before Hugo.
Roseline closed her eyes briefly.
Enough. After countless refusals and sleepless nights, she finally made her decision. She typed a short reply and locked her phone.
