"Are you done talking?" Catherina's voice was a whisper, her gaze cast downward in defeat.
Eleanor, however, turned her eyes away, pointedly ignoring her.
The room fell into an oppressive silence, as thick and heavy as death itself.
Everyone was waiting for Eleanor’s response, their breaths held in anticipation. Catherina’s hands were clenched into fists, her eyes betraying a faint flicker of resentment. She stared at Eleanor’s composed profile, her heart simmering with rage. Was Eleanor’s refusal to acknowledge her meant to humiliate her further? She had offered a sincere apology—what more could she do?
Eleanor seemed to sense Catherina’s mounting frustration. She suddenly turned her head, her eyes icy and implacable, like a dense, cold forest.
"If apologies were enough," she said with chilling leisure, "what would be the point of police?"
Catherina’s expression froze in shock.
Eleanor continued, her tone unmoved, "I do not accept your apology."