The silence following Victor Bennett's hasty retreat feels heavier than the marble beneath our feet. I watch the door close behind them, knowing full well that old Mrs. Bennett's collapse was nothing more than theater. A convenient excuse to flee before facing the consequences of their family's actions.
Grace Bennett's voice cuts through the tension as the car door slams shut outside. "Drive. Drive now."
Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, I can see her helping her mother-in-law into the backseat. The old woman moves with surprising agility for someone who just suffered such a devastating shock.
"Mother Bennett, are you alright?" Victor asks, his voice tight with panic.
"I'm fine, you fool," the old woman snaps, her earlier frailty evaporating the moment they're out of public view. "That collapse bought us time, nothing more."
Grace's hands shake as she fastens her seatbelt. "How could we have been so wrong? The research we did, the background checks—"
