Resigned to his fate, Karl took the phone and dialed Linda under Morrison's watchful eye.
"Speaker," Morrison ordered flatly.
Of course. Why not make it more humiliating?
Karl obediently complied. Soon, Linda's cheerful voice rang through the line.
"Sweetheart! How's everything? Having fun out there with Lilian?"
She got straight to the point, clearly still excited about the idea of her precious son and his perfect future daughter-in-law vacationing together.
Karl felt a cold sweat forming on his brow. Morrison was sitting right next to him, face already darkening like a brewing thunderstorm.
He inhaled sharply, bracing himself. Think of the research funding, he told himself. Think of your poor little lab rats.
"Mom... Lilian and I broke up."
Silence.
Then came Linda's gasp of pure horror.
"What? What happened?! Did you make her angry again?"
"No, no, nothing like that!" Karl rushed to clarify, brain scrambling for a halfway believable excuse.
