Before Abby could recall Nora''s name, Alex''s eyes rested on the same doll. He held out his hand and hesitated for another moment.


    "Abby... can I have that one?" he asked, his voice uncertain.


    Abby''s attention was diverted, and she blinked. "Why?"


    Alex nced toward Linda before looking down. "I want to give it to... her."


    Abby hesitated. She didn''t want to give up the doll she had chosen for Nora, but she also didn''t want to be selfish. She pressed her lips together, thinking hard.


    "I... I wanted to give it to an aunt," she exined. "I yed with her today. She''s really nice."


    The adults around them didn''t pay much attention to Abby''s words, but Alex did. As he listened to her talk about her time with her aunt, something strange stirred inside him.


    The games Abby described-the yful running, theughter, the way her aunt had spun her around in the air-felt oddly familiar.


    He had yed those games too... when he was little.


    With his mother.


    He was inexplicably a little lost in his mind. He was supposed to y these games with his own mother today as well, but he met his father and Aunt Linda..


    Just then, Abby''s eyes caught something else on the table. "Oh! There''s another one!"


    She grabbed another simr doll and handed it to Alex. "Here. Now we both have one."


    Alex''s face lit up with relief. "Thanks!" He quickly ran over to Linda and handed her the doll.


    Linda looked down at it, slightly surprised. "What''s this for?"


    "For you." Alex shifted on his feet, suddenly a little embarrassed. "Abby picked one for her aunt, so 1 thought... you should have one too."


    Linda''s lips curled into a small smile, but there was something unreadable in her eyes. She epted the doll, running her fingers over its soft fabric.


    Abby, watching the exchange, suddenly asked, "Are you going to get one for your mom too?"


    Alex froze.


    He had been so focused on Linda that he had forgotten. His mother.


    He swallowed, feeling a strange pressure in his chest. T... I''ll pick er," he said vaguely.


    Cole, observing everything, said nothing. But he saw how Alex''s small hands clenched at his sides, how Linda''s fingers tightened around the doll.


    Something was off.


    And Cole intended to figure out what it was.


    Meanwhile, miles away, Nora was sitting in her car, staring at her phone.


    Her uncle, Alexander, had just called. His voice had been tense, strained.


    "Nora, listen carefully. Mypany was pushed out of a major deal today. Someone intentionally blocked


    us. And I found out who one of the shareholders is."


    "Who?" she had asked, gripping the steering wheel.


    There had been a long pause before her uncle answered. "Linda."


    Nora''s breath caught.


    Linda.


    The name left a bitter taste in her mouth.


    She knew this wasn''t a coincidence. It was a message. A warning.


    Clenching her jaw, she scrolled through her contacts and pressed a name. Arnold.


    The phone rang. And rang.


    Finally, someone picked up.


    "Hello."


    Nora''s grip on the phone tightened. She knew that voice.


    Linda.


    !


    12:12 O


    The air between them turned heavy, even through the phone.


    I need to speak with Arnold," Nora said, keeping her tone even.


    There was a brief silence before Linda responded, her voice smooth and unbothered. "He''s taking a


    shower right now. You can talk to me if you need anything."


    Nora''s nails dug into her palm.


    Of course.


    This was Linda''s way of showing control. Letting her know that she had ess to Arnold. That she was in his space.


    Nora wasn''t stupid. If she spoke to Linda now, nothing good woulde of it.


    So, without another word, she hung up.


    Her heart pounded in her chest.


    This wasn''t over.


    She started the car.


    If Arnold wouldn''t answer the phone, she would find him herself.


    She needed answers.


    And she was going to get them.


    The night air carried a quiet chill as Nora parked outside the house. The porch light flickered, casting long shadows against the pavement. The house was silent. Empty.


    She tightened her grip on her phone, her thumb hovering over Arnold''s number again. She had called. him countless times during the drive, but each call had gone unanswered. Theck of response left a bitter taste in her mouth.


    A familiar feeling of disappointment settled in her chest.


    With a quiet sigh, she stepped out of the car and walked inside. The dim glow of the hallway lights. greeted her, but the emptiness in the house made it feel colder than it actually was.


    She set her purse on the table and took a seat in the living room, crossing her arms. They woulde home eventually.**


    She would wait.


    12:12


    Hourster, the sound of a car pulling into the driveway reached her ears. She straightened, her heart beating slightly faster than she expected. The front door opened, and a small figure dashed in. "Nora!" Alex''s cheerful voice filled the house as he ran toward her.