Celina’s smile vanished.

She stared at the phone screen, the glow of César’s name pulsing beside the new message notification. Her hands went cold for a moment, but she drew in a steady breath before opening it.

> “We need to talk.”

She let out a sharp sigh, shaking her head.

“We have nothing to talk about, César,” she muttered to herself.

Without hesitation, she deleted the message. She wouldn’t let him shake her again.

Meanwhile, night had fallen over São Paulo. In the high-rise office of one