New York City. October. 10:14 AM.The phone rang twice before he picked up.Scarlett had been counting on more rings. She’d planned what to say in the first three seconds — had mapped it the way she mapped every opening, the exact cadence, the register, the angle of entry. Two rings was not enough time and Xavier Blackwell’s voice came through before she was ready.“Miss Voss,” he said. Then, without waiting: “Or would you prefer Scarlett.”She leaned against the kitchen counter and looked at the brick wall outside her window. The Saturday morning was still doing its ordinary thing out there, completely unbothered. “You already know which one,” she said.“I’d like to hear you choose.”Something about the way he said it — not unkind, not a power move, made her exhale slowly through her nose. “Scarlett,” she said. “My name is Scarlett.”A beat of silence.“How did you get this number?” he said.“The same way you’d have gotten mine if the situation were reversed.” She pushed off the coun
Last Updated : 2026-04-02 Read more