her apartment door rippe

a vicious migraine. She dragged her

d a thick FedEx enve

sed seal of AURA Automotive's Leg

ng to open it. She pulled out the formal letter.

lty fee. Tens of thousands of dol

ge of her vision. She dropped the letter, g

wered, her voice devoi

I just need a l

"You either deliver a flawless final d

ne wen

t the floor. The cold, hard reality s

brain was empty. The fear h

d her phone's settings and remove

of missed call alerts from Marion. She desp

, having just been delivered the moment the block was lifted. She open

ore disappointing tha

skin. But beneath the pain, it sparked a

. She walked to the desk and o

very ounce of her pride. She ope

eleted, and

your help. If you can,

er face in her hands. The

tan, Emerson sat at the head of a

d his hand, silencing the executiv

of irrational anger flared in his chest. This wo

rate, he typed, his jaw tight. The time it takes to fix thi

rt plummeted into her stomach

the phone down, ano

this encrypted calling app.

ed over her. She wiped her eyes aggressivel

tted a sharp, jarring ringtone. An unkn

, shoved her earbuds i

static filled her e

ou hea

d with a trace of irritation. It sounded like

across Faith's skin, leav

I... I can hear you," she

her voice caught him completely off guard. It was soft, sl

his voice, adopting a tone that le

s, and open page th

The late-night, cross-cl