Chapter 50 —The Dismissal

Narrator:

The air in the office felt thick. Heavy. As if every particle were imbued with the relentless presence of Roman Adler.

Aylin closed the door behind her without taking her eyes off his back. He didn't turn around immediately. He kept his hands in his pockets, staring out the window with a calmness that, in him, always meant something worse. Something dangerous.

After a few eternal seconds, Roman finally turned around. His eyes caught hers instantly. Dark, cold, without a hint of emotion.

She felt her stomach clench.

On the desk was a sheet of paper with something printed on it that she couldn't make out from where she stood. There was a pen on top of it, but it wasn't just any pen; it was the pen she had given him for his birthday. And next to the sheet of paper lay a sealed envelope.

Aylin narrowed her eyes.

“What is this?”

Roman walked slowly to the desk and rested both hands on the polished wood, leaning slightly toward her.

“Sign it.”

Aylin crosse