And if not Esme... there were others. He couldn't afford to underestimate anyone anymore, no matter how insignificant they seemed.
Aaron's voice snapped him out of his spiraling thoughts, sharp and impatient. "Hey, old man, have you died? Answer me. Or are you just waiting for me to send this to the media?"
The old man's eyes locked onto the screen, his face a mask of composure, even as his insides churned with unease. He straightened his posture and spoke in a tone as steady as steel. "Go on, spread it."
His voice didn't waver, though his heart raced with the weight of his gamble. Fear lurked in the shadows of his mind, but who was he if not a man who thrived in the face of peril?
