Chapter forty eight

Dane paced in his dimly-lit room, his mind consumed with thoughts of the devastating news he had just received from Kendrick. The weight of his words hung heavily on his heart, and Dane could feel his anxiety creeping up his spine like a vine choking its prey.

He knew he had to tell Isabelle, but the thought of her reaction made him shudder.

Isabelle was fierce and she would never agree to the terms Kendrick had laid out. Dane tried to come up with ways to break the news to her gently, but his mind was blank. He was stuck, like a prisoner in his own thoughts.

As he paced back and forth, the room seemed to shrink around him. The walls closed in, the shadows grew longer, and the air grew thick with tension. He could feel his palms sweating and his heart pounding in his chest. He had never been this nervous before.

But he had to get it done. Kendrick had made it clear that failure was not an option. He had given Dane a task, and if he failed, he would suffer the consequences. Kendrick w