Chapter 233

With a resolute exhale, Martin paced the length of his living room, his footsteps echoing in the otherwise quiet space. His mind buzzed with a mixture of apprehension and determination as he reached for his phone, the device an instrument for a clandestine act he had been meticulously planning.

Dialing a number carefully stored under a pseudonym, Martin's thumb hovered over the call button for a brief moment, the weight of his decision palpable in the silence that enveloped him. Each digit pressed on the keypad seemed to echo through the room, reverberating with the gravity of the impending conversation.

As the phone rang on the other end, Martin's heart quickened its pace. The seconds stretched like an eternity until finally, the call connected.

"Hi, Gia! It is Martin." He began, his voice fainter than he would have wanted.

"Hi! Umh, are you okay?" Gia implored with a long face.

"Aah, yes. Just wanted to give you some info. I accepted the general