The house had been silent for hours.
Nelly remained locked in her room. Unmoving. Unyielding.
She was easily the most stubborn person I'd ever met—and the most impossible to ignore.
I considered calling Rose for backup but dismissed the idea just as quickly. Their interactions always spiraled into a battle for dominance. I never understood where things went wrong between them, but whatever it was, it ran deep, like old war wounds neither was willing to let heal.
I sighed and walked to her door, rapping my knuckles against the wood.
"I know you're in there," I said, my voice even. "Jack said you wanted to talk, but you won't say a word if I'm around."
A beat of silence.
Then—
"That's because you never talk directly," she shot back, her voice sharp and cutting. "Nothing you say is relevant, with all due respect, boss."
A short laugh escaped me. "Yesterday, it was Aiden. Now it's 'boss'? Interesting."
Nothing.
