Chapter 77

Carmine’s jaw tightened, his expression hardening into one of barely controlled rage. But even with that fury burning in his eyes, he didn’t take Clyde’s bait. Instead, he straightened his shoulders and forced a cold, humorless smile. "I’ll wait to read the address on that invitation card," he shot back, his voice icy. "Make it hurry then."

With that final, cutting remark, Carmine ended the call, the screen going black in an instant. The silence that followed was deafening, pressing down on me like a heavy weight. For a moment, I just stood there, staring at the dark screen, my mind racing and emotions tangled in a knot I couldn’t untangle. The tension in my chest tightened until it felt like I could hardly breathe.

Clyde, on the other hand, seemed entirely unfazed by the tense exchange. He let out a satisfied chuckle, clearly pleased with himself, as if this entire twisted interaction was nothing more than a source of amusement for him. “Well, that went better than expected,” he mus