Her message, unfortunately, languished in voicemail limbo.
At the chess tournament, every phone lay silent, turned off to preserve the peace needed by the players.
Harper, however, gripped his phone tightly, making numerous attempts to connect.
It was only during a break that Mark checked his device and finally heard the message.
"Mark, at last! Linda's villa is ablaze. It's roaring with flames!"
Mark's face creased into a slight frown.
But just as swiftly, a casual air returned to his demeanor as he replied with an almost dismissive tone, "Don't sweat it. She's likely up to another game. Knowing that Wendy joined me today for the warm-up match, she's probably just trying to rattle me. Her cold shoulder this morning was surely just bait, expecting me to respond first."
With that tho
