Vera stumbled backward, her legs shaky beneath her as the walls of her reality closed in. Her heart raced, and her mind screamed for a way out, for a lifeline, but none appeared.

The calculated calm she once wielded like a weapon was shattered, leaving only the raw, frantic fear of a woman cornered.

“You... you don’t know anything!” Vera spat, her voice trembling with a mix of fury and desperation. “You’re bluffing.”

Jackson’s smirk only deepened. “Am I?” He leaned against the edge of the mahogany desk, arms crossed, watching her unravel with an almost clinical detachment. “Let me guess, you’re thinking of running, aren’t you?” His eyes gleamed...