The words echo in my mind.
The crash wasn’t meant for you. It was meant for Adrian.
For a moment, the room feels unreal. Like the air has shifted and I’m standing somewhere else entirely.
“That’s impossible,” I whisper.
But no one answers. Because the silence says what words can’t.
Adrian stands perfectly still beside the table. His expression unreadable. Margaret folds her arms slowly.
“That’s what she said,” she repeats.
My pulse pounds harder. “Why would she say that?”
“To get a meeting,” Adrian says quietly.
I turn toward him. “You think she’s lying.”
“I think she’s negotiating.”
“With what?”
“With information.”
The logic is cold. Precise. Very Adrian. But my mind is still stuck on one horrifying possibility.
“What if she’s telling the truth?”
Adrian finally looks at me.
