Without wasting another second, Malisa's fingers moved quickly across her phone screen, dialing Lovi's number with urgency. Her mind was still spinning from the conversation she just had with Cora none of it was sitting well with her. The line barely rang once before Lovi picked up, his voice sharp and direct, like he had been waiting for the call.
"So, where's the location you guys picked for the eting?" Lovi asked imdiately, skipping pleasantries as always.
But Malisa didn't respond right away. She sighed deeply, her chest rising and falling slowly, and then she brought the phone back to her ear. "I'm really sorry to say this," she said, her tone calm but clearly disappointed, "but the deal is off."
"What?" Lovi snapped, his voice rising. "What are you talking about?"
Malisa closed her eyes and pressed her hand against her forehead. "My boss Cora just confird it," she said slowly, trying to control her own frustration. "She said there's no need for the eting anymore. Everything has been called off."
For a mont, there was nothing but silence on the other end of the line.
"There's no need for the eting anymore," she repeated softly, as if saying it again would help her believe it too.
At that mont, upon hearing what Malisa just said, Lovi was taken aback a little. His hand, which had been resting casually on the edge of the table, suddenly froze mid-air. He blinked slowly, almost as if trying to convince himself that he hadn't just heard what he thought he did.
Then his lips parted, brows drawn together as he leaned a bit forward in his seat. "Wait… what do you an the eting is cancelled?" he asked, trying to keep his voice calm but failing to hide the disbelief lacing his tone. "Malisa, this eting is very important. I need you to help understand what exactly is going on here."
He stood up slowly, pacing around the room with the phone pressed against his ear. "You know I've literally been tracking this lead for weeks, and I finally have sothing solid. I was hoping to confirm it from Cora directly. I don't get it—why is she suddenly pulling out? Why is she cancelling everything like this without warning?"
However Malisa, on the other end of the call, didn't speak for a few seconds. She could hear the frustration building in his voice, and she understood it—truly, she did. But she had no control over what Cora had decided. She had simply delivered the ssage.
"I understand how you feel," lissa finally said softly. "But… I'm just telling you what I was told. Cora was very clear. She said the eting is over. Not just the eting, Lovi—everything. Everything that has to do with Mr. B is cancelled. She doesn't want it anymore."
At that mont, upon hearing what Malisa just said, Lovi leaned back in his chair, clearly taken aback. His brows furrowed, and for a brief second, he didn't say a word. The silence on the line was heavy, almost tense, as he tried to process the news that had just been dropped on him. Then, after a short pause, his voice finally ca through, calm but confused.
"Wait… what do you an the eting is cancelled?" he asked slowly, like he wasn't sure if he heard her right the first ti. "Malisa, this eting—this one—was extrely important to . I really need to understand what's going on. I've been working on sothing behind the scenes. I've got a lead. Sothing solid. I just needed Cora to confirm a few things. That's all."
His voice cracked slightly at the edge, a mix of frustration and disappointnt bleeding through. "Why is she suddenly pulling back? Why now, when we're so close to putting the pieces together?"
Malisa let out a soft sigh. She understood how deeply involved Lovi had gotten with the whole situation, but even she was just as confused by Cora's abrupt change of heart. Still, she remained firm. "Lovi," she said, her tone gentle but resolute, "I get it. Trust , I do. But that's what I was told. Directly from her. She said everything is over. Not just the eting—everything that has to do with Mr. B."
Again there was another pause from Lovi's end.
However after keeping quiet for so minutes he cleared his throat and continued, trying to make sense of it all.
"Well…" he muttered, "If she doesn't want to continue, then she must already know sothing. She must've figured out sothing big. Probably even confird it herself." He gave a short laugh, bitter and tired. "But… even so, it wouldn't hurt to just know who Mr. B really is. You know? Just so we all stop running in circles. At least let her feel safe that we're on the sa page."
However Malisa didn't respond imdiately. Her fingers drumd softly on her desk as she thought about how to word it. Then she said, calmly but clearly, "That's not the case anymore. Cora told herself she knows who Mr. B is. And she doesn't want anyone digging around anymore. Not , not you, not anybody."
There was a note of finality in her voice, one that didn't invite further debate.
"She was clear, Lovie. She doesn't want any of this anymore. So I think… I think you should just wrap up whatever you've been doing and forget about it. Just like that."
At that mont, as Malisa ended the call, the room fell into an unsettling silence around Lovi. The soft hum of his laptop fan was the only sound, but even that seed to grow louder, sharper as if mocking him.
His jaw clenched so tightly it made the muscles in his neck twitch. Without thinking, he grabbed his phone and hurled it at the floor. The device shattered on impact, pieces scattering across the polished tiles like broken trust.
"How dare she?" he muttered under his breath, pacing the room like a caged animal. His eyes burned—not with sadness, but with pure disbelief and rage
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