The Day Silence Spoke novel Chapter 149

Santino’s smile faltered for a fraction of a second before he composed himself. “Is that so? I’ll review it again.”

He picked up the file. “I’ll bring it back to you after I’ve made the revisions.”

Clifford said nothing, which Santino took as a tacit agreement.

As soon as Santino left, Clifford ripped off his tie and undid the top two buttons of his shirt. His face became a stony mask as he sat alone in the silent conference room, his gaze distant.

He remained there until Selah knocked and entered.

“Mr. Lambert, I couldn’t reach you yesterday, so I went ahead and finalized the deal with the client. Here’s the contract for your review.”

Clifford took the document, flipping through it distractedly. “Fine. You continue to manage it.”

“Of course,” Selah said, taking the contract back. She hesitated, studying his face. “Mr. Lambert, is something troubling you?”

Clifford looked up at her. “Is it that obvious?”

Selah offered a small smile. “It is. You only glanced at two pages of that contract.”

Clifford didn’t reply. He simply stood up and walked out of the room.

…

Latisha awoke on the floor. A night in the cold had left every muscle in her body aching. She was still in the same room, her wrists still bound to the chair.

The only difference was a bowl placed in front of her, filled with cold, leftover food.

He leaned closer. “But you can’t die. Not yet.”

The kinder he sounded, the more monstrous his actions became. He took the bowl and slammed her face down into it.

Rice and vegetables filled her nose and mouth, cutting off her air. Her chest seized, and she began to choke, the food particles being sucked into her nasal passages. She coughed violently, but he held her head down firmly. The force of her coughing sent food flying from the bowl, splattering onto his hands and the floor.

She thrashed, but tied to the chair and weak from hunger, she had no strength left. Her brain screamed for oxygen, and her vision began to fade.

From above her, she heard Santino’s voice. “See? You can make sounds. Why can’t you speak?”

Her coughs were barely audible, more like choked gasps of air than actual sounds.