Call Rowan Now
I stared at the screen, heart stalling. I knew it was coming. We’d talked about it. Her mother had asked for my input, Jo had followed up on the planning.
White dress, Claire would never want us to follow tradition.
I should have known it would be happening soon.
But seeing it?
It felt like someone dropped a weight right in my chest.
I pressed my hand against my forehead, breathing slowly.
“Come on,” I whispered to myself. “You’ve known this was coming.”
Didn’t make it easier.
Didn’t stop it from feeling like another brick on the collapsing tower of my life.
I stood, grabbing my things and muttering something about needing air as I headed toward the parking lot. I was halfway to my car when my phone pinged again.
Another message.
I slowed, glanced down.
And froze.
\[Blurry Image Attached\]
It was of Laura and Larry. The angle was strange, like it was taken from far away. A parking lot? A school fence?
The caption chilled my spine.
“Does Rowan know about them?”
My throat closed.
I whipped around, heart hammering. Nothing. No shadows. No figures. Just people coming and going like any normal day.
I tapped on Jo’s name and pressed the phone to my ear.
She picked up immediately. “You okay?”
“No,” I snapped. “Where are the kids?”
“They’re fine. At school. I just called to check in on them ten minutes ago, Remi—what’s wrong?”
I swiped back to the message and sent it to her. “That.”
A pause. “Who the hell sent this?”
“I don’t know. It’s from an unknown number. Jo, I swear to God—”
“They’re fine,” she said again, calmer this time. “I’ll call the school, talk to the guards. And I’ll head over there myself. Just breathe, okay?”
I nodded, even though she couldn’t see me. “Yeah. Okay.”
“No. Just keep your eyes on work. I will go get the kids myself.”
“You got it.”
I hung up and sat in the driver’s seat, keys clutched tight in my hand.
What was this?
Why now?
I hadn’t heard from Gigi since… since the gala. Since the humiliating scene and the not-so-veiled threats. I thought it was done.
My phone buzzed again.
Private Number Calling
I stared at it for a second before answering.
“Hello?”
Silence.
Then—
A voice. Male. Calm. Slightly amused.
“You should’ve taken Gigi’s deal.”
My blood ran cold.
“Who is this?”
No answer.
Just the faintest click as the line went dead.
I stared at my screen.
My fingers trembled as I lowered the phone. My heart pounded in my chest, each thud louder than the last.
****
The drive to the school felt endless.
I was breathing too hard. My eyes flicked to every car behind us, every motorcyclist that lingered a little too long beside my window. Jo was already on the phone with security, speaking in a clipped voice I barely recognized.
When we arrived, the front of the school was a mess. Two guards were talking to a pair of frantic teachers, and as soon as I parked, I ran straight past them.
“Dr. Laurent!” someone called.
I didn’t stop.
I saw them.
Larry.
Laura.
Crying.
And my heart cracked in two.
“Mummy!” Laura’s voice broke, high and panicked.
I fell to my knees just in time to catch them both as they rushed me.
Larry was sobbing—my Larry, the brave one, who never cried, who always said he had to “man up.” His little fists were tight against my jacket. Laura clung to my waist, shaking.
“What happened?” I whispered, kissing their foreheads over and over. “Baby, what happened?”
“They said… they said you sent them,” Laura whimpered. “They said you were in a car and told them to come. But you weren’t there. You weren’t, mummy.”
My eyes widened.
I looked up at Jo, who was speaking to the headmistress now. A teacher, pale and trembling, approached me.
“I’m so sorry, Dr. Laurent. We… we didn’t let them leave, I promise. One of the children, Larry—said something wasn’t right, and the man ran when he saw a guard coming.”
“They saw his face?” I asked, standing now, my hands still protectively on my children’s backs.
“No. Hoodie. Glasses. Beard. The usual,” the teacher murmured shakily. “But we’ve increased security. I promise you, nothing like this will happen again.”
Jo stepped forward. “We’re pulling them out for the day. Effective immediately.”
I nodded.
I didn’t trust my voice to work.
\---
Back in the car, the kids safely buckled in the back and already drifting into sleep from the adrenaline crash, Jo turned to me.
“Remi. You know what this means, right?”
I nodded, eyes fixed on the rearview mirror. “It’s Gigi.”
“And she’
s getting desperate.”
I let the silence stretch.
I didn’t know if I was shaking from fear or rage.
Maybe both.
“Call Rowan,” Jo said quietly. “Now.”
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