Chapter 9 : The call

The salt from the sea still clung to my hair when Viktor’s phone buzzed against the glass table. We had just returned from the beach, our skin warm from the sun, sand still clinging to my ankles. I reached for the water pitcher, smiling at the memory of Viktor pulling me into the waves earlier, when his tone dropped like the sky before a storm.

He answered the call smoothly at first, all business like charm. “Douglas,” he said, his voice steady, but his jaw tightened.

I tilted my head, my glass half-raised. “Who is it?” I whispered, curiosity crawling through my chest.

He didn’t answer. His eyes darkened as whoever was on the other side spoke. I couldn’t hear a thing, but the way Viktor’s shoulders stiffened, the way his lips pressed into a hard line, made my stomach twist.

Finally, he exhaled sharp through his nose and muttered, “Yes. Understood. I’ll be there.”

The phone clicked shut, and silence filled the room. He stood still, staring out past the balcony, where the horizon burned