An hour later, Elena’s phone rang again.
The moment she answered, Mabel’s sharp voice blasted through the speaker.
“What is taking you so long?” Mabel demanded. “The company is practically next door to Maddy’s neighborhood. Do you plan on crawling here? Even a snail would have arrived by now.”
Her irritation was unmistakable.
Unlike before, Mabel didn’t immediately hang up after issuing her orders. Instead, she remained on the line, fully expecting the usual response—a hurried apology, followed by assurances that Elena was already on her way.
For years, that had been the pattern.
Elena apologized.
Elena complied.
Elena never refused.
And Mabel had long since grown accustomed to it.
A faint icy smirk touched on Elena’s lips. “Mabel, I’m in a critical meeting. The company is enteri
