*ARIANA*
The question came out so softly, so casually, it took a moment to register.
My heart stopped.
"What did you just say?"
Before she could answer, my phone rang, cutting through the tension like a knife.
I didn't move. Couldn't move. Just stared at her, waiting for an explanation that I already knew wasn't coming.
The phone rang again. Louder this time.
Juliana glanced at it, then back at me. "You should answer that."
"We're not done."
"Yes," she said quietly. "We are."
She stepped around me and walked toward the elevators, leaving me standing there with my phone vibrating in my hand and her words echoing in my head.
‘Are you?’
I looked down at the screen. Unknown number.
My hands were shaking as I answered. "Hello?"
"Mrs. Cox?" A man's voice. Professional. Familiar.
"
