"This is nonsense," Lydia muttered, her voice trembling as she shook her head violently, as if the physical motion could dislodge the impossible words from her mind. "Complete and utter nonsense, Sophia. I refuse to believe it." Her hands clenched into fists at her sides, nails biting into her palms.
"Two hundred and fifty million dollars? No... no, that's an absolute lie. A fabricated scare tactic designed to unsettle me." The words tumbled out faster now, desperate. "Money like that doesn't materialize overnight. It doesn't happen… not in this industry, not anywhere."
Sophia's mouth opened slightly, a small, involuntary twitch at the corner betraying her immediate thought: But this money just did.
The evidence sat heavy in her hands, undeniable and terrifying. She could feel the weight of the documents, could see the verified wire transfer codes staring back at her in cold, bureaucratic precision.
