Echoes of ambition

elt much closer, and far more dangerous. He could hear Nana Emi's voice, strained and thin, like a worn-out thread about to snap. The other voice, the man'

y lit, the curtains drawn against the harsh afternoon sun. Nana Emi sat on the edge of the wor

the small room. He wore a dark suit, impeccably tailored, that seemed out of place in their humble surrounding

smile that didn't reach his eyes, which remained cold and calculating. He had sharp fe

smooth as oil. He extended a hand towards Jayne,

to Nana Emi. She gave him a small, almost imperceptible

friend," Nana Emi said, h

o warmth. "Indeed. We go way back. I was just tel

. He looked from Mr. Sterling to Nana Emi, trying to decipher the silent conversation passing between them. He not

"This is a... quaint little place you have here," he said, his voice laced wi

shiver down his spine. "I'll be staying in town for a while," he said, his voice

ng Jayne and Nana Emi in a heavy silence. The air in the room felt thick and suffo

happens in t