-Playing Some Tricks-

The room seemed to constrict around them as the gravity of her question settled in, leaving an almost palpable tension between them. 

'So you know?' he thought and took a moment to compose himself before responding, his expression unreadable—a mask he had perfected over the years.

"What do you mean? I don't understand." Nicholas asked and sipped his wine. 

Verena anticipated that Nicholas might question her motives, so she had come prepared. Without hesitation, she reached into her bag and retrieved her phone, her fingers swiftly navigating through its contents until she found what she was looking for.

With a determined expression, she pressed play on a video. The screen flickered to life, revealing a news segment. 

In the footage, a journalist was seen speaking to someone in his office—it was Nicholas.