If he was willing to dig, if he dared to dig, then Serena Frost would continue talking. She would lay bare the rest of what she knew, piece by piece, until every buried secret sat exposed under the light.
But if he flinched here, if even this much frightened him into retreat, then she would read that hesitation for exactly what it was. A man too afraid to act on what she'd already given would never act on what came next. And so she would hold her silence, seal her lips, and let the rot continue festering beneath the surface.
Ambrose Ward understood the calculation perfectly. The realization settled into his chest like a cold stone. Serena had deliberately chosen this particular revelation as her test, a case enormous enough to separate the bold from the timid. Which meant whatever she wa
