*Estelle*

My heart was pounding in my chest. Val was enraged in a way I’d never seen him. I felt frozen to the spot as the weight of the confrontation hit me.

The men who had accompanied Charles looked just as uncertain and startled as I was. Gradually, they backed away from Val. None of them wanted to anger him further, and I didn’t blame them. After an uncertain moment, the men followed Charles.

Once Charles and the strange men were far enough away ...