Chapter 128. Calculated Вestruction

Isabel’s POV

Silence. Heavy. Suffocating.

Cynthia’s eyes lock onto mine, dark and brimming with something between fury and disbelief. The weight of Robert’s words still lingers in the air, thick as smoke, curling around the room and seeping into every crack of tension. I watch as her lips part, then press together—like she’s trying to swallow the impossible.

Then, she laughs. A hollow, humorless sound. Sharp. Cold. Bitter and completely devoid of warmth.

“You’re joking, right?”

Her voice carries a brittle edge, like a glass just before it shatters. But there’s no amusement in her expression. Only the slight tremor in her fingers betrays the frustration simmering beneath her carefully built walls.

Robert doesn’t answer. Instead, he steps forward, measur