Richard’s Disbelief
Richard’s self-assured façade crumbled in real time. His face flushed, jaw tightening as he stared at the screen, struggling to reconcile the truth with his long-held assumptions. “But… this can’t be right,” he stammered, eyes flicking desperately from me to the phone, as if sheer disbelief could will the facts away. The pride and control he so often wielded began to fracture, exposing the frustration and bewilderment beneath. I remained silent, letting the truth hang in the air, giving it room to settle in exactly as I’d planned.
Richard’s Disbelief
Margaret’s Surprise
Margaret gasped sharply, clutching her pearls in dramatic fashion as if replaying a scene from an old movie. Her eyes flickered between the documents on my phone and my steady, calm expression. “Mark, darling, are you for real?” she asked, her voice thick with disbelief and surprise. The room seemed charged, as if an unsettled storm was brewing beneath the surface—a stark contrast to her usual composed elegance. I simply nodded, letting her know there was no trickery—this was the undeniable truth.
Margaret’s Surprise
