On the final attempt, the line finally connected, yet the other end remained cloaked in a heavy, unbroken silence. No one spoke a single word. Standing in the isolating darkness, Evelyn was forced to initiate the dialogue. "...Michael," she offered softly, her delicate voice carrying an undeniable, magnetic pull through the quiet line.
The man offered nothing but a low, mocking sneer.
Evelyn bit her lip hard, forcing her tone to remain rigid. "Return Lucas and Clara to me immediately!"
The man let out a cold, cutting laugh through the receiver. "Return them to your custody? Evelyn Sin, you are thinking far too highly of your position." As he spoke those words, Michael's eyes swept lovingly over his sleeping children, his face illuminated by the pure, unyielding affection of a devoted father. Yet the voice filtering from his lips remained entirely freezing and calculated to inflict maximum pain.
