Ice cold

As Tessa picked at her plate of spaghetti and chicken, she could feel Reggie, Gunther, and Randal's penetrating gazes fixed upon her, their scrutiny almost palpable in the air.

Reggie's piercing gaze seemed to bore into Tessa's soul as he spoke, his voice smooth yet tinged with an underlying intensity. "I heard you finished college and now work as an investigative journalist. How impressive, I bet your father would be proud," he remarked, his words sending a shiver down Tessa's spine.

Tessa forced a polite smile, though her mind was racing with questions and suspicions. How did these men know about her career? And why were they so interested in her father's legacy all of a sudden?

Gunther leaned in, his eyes glinting with an unsettling gleam. "Your father was a remarkable man, Tessa. He always spoke highly of you and your accomplishments," he added, his voice dripping with honeyed charm.