Rose's Point Of View
The tension in the boardroom was so thick it felt like I was wading through waist-deep water. Azriel leaned so far forward his chest almost touched the glass, his ice-blue eyes fixed on me like I was a puzzle he was about to rip apart to solve.
I felt small… insignificant. Like a trembling bird trapped in a room full of mountain lions. My hands wouldn't stop shaking, no matter how hard I pressed them against my thighs.
I gulped, my throat clicking in the dead silence. The sound seemed to echo off the pristine walls, amplifying my vulnerability. "We couldn't stop them, sir," I whispered, my voice shaking so hard it was barely audible. Each word felt like a confession of failure. "We tried. Mason… my boyfriend, he chased them, he really did. He drove like a maniac, but that van... it wasn't normal. It was too fast. It just swallowed her up and vanished into the industrial district."
