The Mistress
It was someone I hadn’t heard in five years.
“Michael, please… you can’t let him do this to her. She’s just a child. The Vermon name… it’s not worth her life.”
My mother.
“The name is everything, Hashana,” Michael Blackwood’s voice replied, cold and absolute. “And your daughter is the only key we have left. If you won’t help us convince her to sign, then you’re no longer of use to this family.”
The recording cut into a sudden, violent scuffle—the sound of breaking glass, a choked scream, and then a long, terrifying silence.