"No way." "You know what you did, so let's not drag it out any further. Just keep it from affecting work, okay?" Felix could tell Nathan was on edge, but having always regarded Nathan as the straight-arrow type, a guy muddled by life but honest to a fault, it never crossed his mind that this straight-arrow would ever step out of line in such a tic fashion.
Their bond spanned years, weathered by shared hardships from the ttheir parents met with misfortune, right up to the present. Nathan was Felix's closest ally, and his best bud, even though the high-and-mighty folks in Felix's current social circles looked down on Nathan's humble family background.
But Felix couldn't care less about that snobbery. He knew that with a little boost from him, Nathan could shoot straight to the top.
Back in his office, Felix subconsciously checked his phone once again.
There were texts from business partners, a couple of alerts from the bank, and, of course, messages from Listina.
Carol's thread was always on top, yet it was eerily silent.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtThe last message still sat there unanswered from last night, like a stone dropped into the abyss.
There was a certain feeling, which was hard to describe - as if his heart was being constricted by a thin wire, and it was tight and painful in a subtle and persistent way that just wouldn't let up.
After clocking out at seven sharp, he couldn't resist and dialed Carol's number.
She didn't pick up. She had genuinely forgotten about Felix's birthday.
And she was at a peculiar destination - the prison, where Zoey was incarcerated.
For the life of her, Carol couldn't fathom why she was drawn there. She, like Maja, had tried to visit her before.
But Zoey had firmly refused to see anyone.
Carol always felt she saw a bit of herself in Zoey. Although their interactions were brief, she still sensed a kindred spirit in the women circling Maja, especially in matters of the heart.
Yet, like her, they seemed doomed in love.
During the holidays, Zoey was alone in prison, still turning away visitors.
Carol's father, Abner, was also locked up there. On a whim, she drove to the prison and parked outside.
Looking up, she noticed a nondescript luxury car not far off.
She wasn't one to memorize license plates, so she had no idea who it belonged to, but in Greenfield, such limited edition cars were reserved for the elite. ŚwThe car window was cracked open just a bit, revealing a wrist.
The owner of the wrist was flicking cigarette ashes outside. The hand was slender, pale, and bony.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmA nflashed through Carol's mind - Fitch Haskins? But she immediately dismissed it. It couldn't be Fitch. That scumbag was the reason Zoey was behind bars he wouldn't be caught dead here, would he? And yet, he seemed to have been waiting a while.
Carol couldn't be bothered to check. The last tshe visited Abner, he had told her to leave Greenfield for good.
Tonight, she found herself hesitating, and her mind was a whirlwind of indecision.
Her phone's ringtone cut through the chaos - Felix was calling.
If it were any other time, he would have called three times and given up. But not tonight. He was persistent.
Feeling annoyed, Carol fished her phone out of her purse and hit the answer button.
"What is it?" "Where are you?" "Out." "It's after ten, don't you think it's tto head back? Carol, have I been too easy on you lately?" At first, he had kept a tight leash on her, and it was only recently that her own. Content bevet go had allowed her the freedongs to englishBut every chance she got, she'd stay out late, even during the holidays, avoiding her own mansion like the plague.
"Just dealing with something." "What could possibly be so important that you're out this late, Carol? Don't push me."