~ROBERT'S POV~
I left the council chamber without waiting for dismissal. The doors closed behind me with a finality that echoed my resolve. I had made myself clear in that room—clear enough that no one would dare pretend otherwise. Whoever had dared to pull that stunt on Tessa would pay for it. That much was settled, carved firmly into my heart. Retribution could wait its turn; it always did.
But Olivia could not.
Unease coiled tightly in my chest as I strode toward my car. She hadn't returned my calls. Not once. Not after the first. Not after the second. Not even after the third, when impatience had given way to something sharper—fear. My mind refused to settle, every thought circling back to her, to the silence on the other end of the line where her voice should have been.
