“You are threatening me,” Marcus said.

“I am offering you a trade,” Sophia replied.

“The docks for the money, and for Elena’s safe passage out of the city.”

I looked at the phone in my hand, the screen casting a pale blue light on my palms.

My stomach tightened, a familiar flutter reminding me of the life growing inside me.

“She is not leaving,” Marcus said.

“Then you will lose everything by tomorrow morning,” Sophia said.

The line went dead with a soft click.

The silence in the cabin returned, heavier than before.

The red light on Marcus’s phone continued to blink, a steady, mocking pulse.

“You knew about this,” Marcus said, looking directly at me.

“I knew she had the keys,” I said, keeping my voice steady.

“I did not know she would freeze the accounts.”

Marcus took a slow breath, trying to regain his composure.

He smoothed the lapels of his dark wool coat.

“She cannot hold those accounts for long,” Marcus said to Luca.

“She doesn’t need to,” Luca said.

“By tomorrow, the board will notice the freeze, and the police will start asking questions.”