Alexander still looked at me shocked and it seems like he was not going to accept the offer, so I decided to act like I didn't want the diamonds again.
"Seems like you don't want to tell me where the diamonds are and you also don't want to share the money. Let's leave it ok?"
As soon as the words came out of my mouth, the air suddenly became heavy and suffocating. Alexander's face fell. The flicker of hope extinguished, replaced by a look of resigned desperation. He opens his mouth to speak, but I cut him off before he could protest. The casualness of my tone bellies the underlying threat. Alexia and Daniel exchange a look, a silent acknowledgement of the change in tactics.
The casual, almost offhand manner in which I dismiss the negotiation creates a new kind of pressure, far more insidious than the direct confrontation. The threat of the police, implicit in my previous statement, still hangs in the air, a silent, ever– present danger. Alexander's silence speaks volumes. He is weighing his options, and the scales are tipping heavily against him. The possibility of a fifty – fifty split, however tenuous, is gone. The immediate threat of the police remains. He glances nervously at the door, his eyes darting through the street beyond the window.
I stood up, the movement deliberate (but he probably didn't care if it was deliberate or not rather he knew that he had no choice). I acted as if I was leaving. Alexia also stood up while Daniel remained seated, his expression impassive, but his eyes remained fixed on Alexander, observing his reactions.
There is no outward show of anger or frustration, just a calm, quiet resolve . The air is thick with unspoken tension – the unspoken threat of the police, the failure of the negotiation, and the lingering knowledge of the hidden diamonds. Alexander finally speaks
"Wait... Please.... I..." he trails off, his words lost in a flurry of nervous gestures. The game isn't over, but it just changed. The focus is no longer on a negotiation,but on the lingering threat of exposure and the unknown consequences that awaits.
The diamonds remains hidden, the mystery unsolved, and a new and uncertain path lies ahead, shadowed by the unspoken words and the chilling implications left hanging in the air. The sounds of door opening and closing punctuates the silence, leaving Alexander alone with his secrets and his growing dread.