A long, deathly silence stretched across the line.
When Gary finally spoke, the words seemed to scrape their way out of his throat. "What... did you just say?"
A faint tremor threaded through his voice. "A fire? That's impossible."
His tone rose sharply, disbelief bleeding into every word. "How could Olivia still have been there? She's always known how to read a situation and protect herself."
His voice became increasingly frantic. "Where were the people I assigned to watch her? Are they all useless? Why didn't they get her out?"
"Mr. Lint..." The assistant's voice shook. He sounded as though he was struggling not to cry. "The fire... Miss Olivia started it herself."
Gary froze.
For a moment, he couldn't even breathe.
The assistant swallowed hard before continuing, "Maybe... Maybe
