The lobby became silent.
Not ordinary silence.
The kind that settles after a bomb has exploded.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Rain hammered the shattered glass entrance while Cole's phone remained in his hand.
His face had gone pale.
And those words continued echoing through the room.
He says he wants the key.
And he says he already has Miss Voss's father.
Elara felt the blood drain from her face.
"No."
The word escaped before she could stop it.
No.
Her father had spoken to her barely two days ago.
He had sounded normal.
Annoying.
Stubborn.
Exactly as always.
Nothing unusual.
Nothing alarming.
Her chest tightened.
"That's impossible."
Cole looked at her.
For once, there was no arrogance in his expression.
Only concern.
"The message came directly from a secured Black
