The silence in the car was suffocating, a heavy cloud of unspoken words and lingering anger. Brian's knuckles turned white against the steering wheel as he focused on the road, every muscle in his face tightened in restraint. He felt the weight of Linda's gaze on him, daring him to be the first to break the silence. But tonight, he had no intention of placating her.
Minutes passed in a cold standoff, broken only by the soft hum of the car's engine. Then, suddenly, Brian's phone rang, jarring them both from the tension-heavy silence. He glanced at the caller ID—a familiar number, his assistant calling at an odd. With a resigned sigh, "What now?" he muttered, hitting the answer button.
"Mr. Rowland," the familiar voice of his assistant came through, sounding tense. "I… I hate to call at this hour, but I thought you'd want to know as soon as possible. I received an email from the Eliott Group. They've… they've terminated every contract with us with immediate effect."
