mplicated very quickly.”
His voice softened slightly in a way that felt strangely threatening.
“You don’t want to create problems that could affect both of us.”
The room seemed to tilt around me, yet in that moment something inside my mind suddenly became very clear.
I looked directly at him.
“Then call my father,” I said.
Colin stared at me as if I had just told an absurd joke.
“Your father?” he repeated.
I nodded slowly.
“Call him.”
The Phone Call That Silenced the Room
Colin walked back into the dining room with the phone in his hand, clearly amused by what he believed was a ridiculous request, and when several guests noticed my absence from the table, Lorraine waved a dismissive hand.
“She’s being dramatic again,” she said loudly.
Colin dialed the number I had given him and activated the speaker so that everyone could hear the conversation.
The phone rang twice.
Then a calm, authoritative voice answered.
“This is Justice Theodore Halvorsen speaking.”
Colin smiled as though he were entertaining the room.
“Good evening,” he said casually. “This is Colin Ashcroft, husband of Marissa. Your daughter seems to be causing a rather dramatic situation in my kitchen.”
For a moment the line was silent.
Then the voice spoke again, slower this time.
“Did you say… Marissa Ashcroft?”
Colin lifted one eyebrow.
“Yes.”
