Max moved back toward his desk, his mind already shifting again. "Speaking of Ruby," he said, as if the conversation hadn't just fractured something in the room, "how is the search going?" Samuel straightened slightly.
Professional again. "The men are still out there," he reported. "Checking islands. Coastlines. Villages." A small pause.
"But… nothing yet." Max's hand curled slowly into a fist. Not sudden. Not explosive. Just controlled tension tightening beneath the surface.
"Keep them out there," he said. "Expand the search if you have to." Samuel nodded.
And then. The phone rang. The sound cut clean through the room. Sharp. Unexpected.
Max glanced at the screen. Unknown number. For a second, he almost ignored it. But something. Something instinctive. Made him answer. He lifted the phone slowly. "Maximilian Byron speaking." A pause. Static. Then. A voice. Calm. Measured.
