ELINA'S POV
The cold air of the dimly lit warehouse stung my cheeks as I crouched behind a stack of dusty crates, trying to steady my breathing. My hands trembled uncontrollably, the phone clutched tightly in my grip slick with sweat.
Scarlet’s trap had finally snapped shut, and I was right in the center of it.
For days, I’d been dodging her calls and her veiled threats, hoping I could somehow fix things on my own. But every time I tried to move forward, Scarlet was two steps ahead. She’d taken over every aspect of my life—my accounts, my reputation, even my safety.
And now, with nowhere else to turn, I was doing something I swore I’d never do.
I was calling my father.
My thumb hovered over Richard’s number for a brief moment. My father and I hadn’t spoken in months, not since our la
