10

Mason Donovan tapped his feet impatiently, the seconds ticking by like eternity as he waited downstairs. When he finally caught sight of his wife rushing down the staircase, his heart clenched with anticipation.

He wasted no time in swinging the door open. "How did it go?" he demanded.

Arabella Collins pushed past him, her movements frantic and her expression wrought with distress. "Mason, I can't do it," she spat out, her words sharp and cutting. "Go and find someone else!"

Mason's features contorted with anger, his jaw clenched so tightly it felt like it might snap. "Arabella, are you f*cking joking with me?" he seethed, his voice rising to a dangerous pitch. "You were up there for so long, and now you are telling me that you can't do it? Can't you do one simple thing right?" The air crackled with tension as his words hung heavy between them, the weight of disappointment and frustration threatening to suffocate them both.

"Oh... Did you think it is as simple as just negotiating for