KAREN
“Hello, ma.”
I straightened in my seat the moment the call connected. The sound of his voice told me everything even before he finished speaking. There was hesitation and caution. There was a slight pause people made when they were about to deliver bad news.
“Hello,” I replied calmly. “Did it work?”
There was silence on the other end for a moment.
“No, ma,” he finally said. “She did not buy it.”
My fingers curled slowly around the armrest of my chair.
“How come?” I asked, keeping my tone even. I learned long ago that raising my voice never made people more useful. Besides, this was just the first of many other plans I had in store for her.
“We do not know, ma’am. We followed the plan exactly. We showed her the ID cards, acted professionally, and maintained authority. We didn'
