By Monday morning, Sari’s patience was hanging by a single thread.
She’d spent the weekend pacing the condo, watching the hours bleed into each other. Her second week in Manila was almost done. Every tick of the clock sounded like mockery.
Mariella had promised to reach out to Ardent Lex first thing. And she did. But when she walked into Sari’s place that afternoon, the look on her face said everything before she even spoke.
“They denied it,” Mariella said flatly.
Sari blinked. “What?”
“The request for an earlier mediation,” Mariella explained, dropping her bag on the couch. “I sent a formal petition through the mediator, cited your limited stay, even offered flexible hours. They came back this morning. Ardent Lex refused.”
Sari’s eyes narrowed. “Did they say why?”
Mariella exhaled
