A deafening silence filled the office as Anna and Daniel stared at the phone lying on the desk between them.
The air felt heavy.
"Should I play it?" Anna asked quietly, her voice barely above a whisper.
Daniel's gaze remained fixed on the device. "Didn't Shawn confirm the file was safe?"
She nodded. When she had received the file from an unknown number, she had immediately contacted Shawn. Within minutes, he had traced it, scanned it, and assured her there was nothing malicious attached to it.
"It's clean," he had said confidently.
Daniel finally looked at her. "Then play it."
Anna swallowed. For someone who had faced danger before, her fingers were trembling far too much. She pressed the play button.
A faint static sound crackled through the speaker.
Then a voice.
"I—Is that mom?" Anna whispered, her breath catching as she recognized it instantly.
Daniel didn't respond. He didn't need to. The look in his eyes confirmed what she already knew.
It was Roseline.
