“We will handle this before the police get here.”

“You can’t do this,” Sophia screamed.

The two men grabbed her arms.

She struggled, her heels dragging loudly against the hardwood floor.

“Vance, please,” Sophia begged.

They dragged her out of the office and down the hallway.

Her muffled cries faded as they reached the elevator.

Luca looked away, staring back down at his shoes.

I stood frozen in the middle of the room, my hand still resting on my stomach.

The door to the office remained open.

The silence returned, heavier than before.

Then, the elevator bell chimed down the hall.

Slow, heavy footsteps echoed on the marble floor outside.

I turned toward the doorway.

Marcus stepped through the doorway.

His black cashmere coat was damp with melted snow.

He did not look at Luca, and he did not look at Vance.

His eyes anchored on me, tracing the line of my shoulders down to where my hand gripped my coat over my stomach.

“It is done,” Marcus said.

His voice was lower than usual, stripped of its gravelly weight.