The night air wraps around me as I step out of the car—cool, sharp, carrying the scent of white roses from the garden. Their fragrance mingles with the damp earth and dew-wet grass.
I straighten my jacket, the fabric pulling across my shoulders.
Secretary Nick steps out from the driver's seat, the car door closing with a solid, expensive thud. He adjusts his glasses—a small, precise movement, pushing the frame up the bridge of his nose.
My phone buzzes in my pocket. A vibration against my hip, insistent and impatient. I pull it out and glance at the screen.
Sum.
Sum: Ellis, you didn't tell me what his name is.
Another message follows before I can blink.
Sum: Tell me.
A teasing smirk tugs at the corner of my mouth. My thumbs move across the screen, unhurried.
Ellis: I don't know.
Sum's reply comes almost immediately, like he was holding his breath waiting.
Sum: Ellis, you promised you'd help. Didn't you ask him?
"Mr. Ellis."
