Chapter 2 - THE TUESDAY PLAN|
The December air off Lake Ontario hit Imara like a physical wall as she stepped beneath the Royal York’s exterior canopy. Her breath materialized in dark, rapid bursts.
She didn't cry. She didn't tremble.
Instead, she pulled her phone from her purse, angled the screen, and took a high-resolution photograph of her left jaw. A deep crimson welt was already blooming against her pale skin.
She opened her encrypted messaging app and sent the photo to a contact saved simply as Tuesday.
She added two words: Tuesday plan.
Her phone buzzed in her hand before she reached the curb.
"Imara," the voice was calm, razor-sharp, and devoid of pity. It was Roa Chabi, top family law attorney in the city. "Are you and Cass in immediate danger?"
"Not if I’m out of the townhouse before Beck comes home," Imara said, her voice steady.
"Good," Roa instructed instantly. "Don't take a cab or an Uber. I have a private driver two blocks from your location right now. I’ve already dispatched two police officers to the Royal York to generate an incident report. You need that police file number."
"I'm at the main entrance," Imara said.
"Listen to me carefully," Roa continued, the sound of papers shifting over the line. "Meet me at the Rosedale house in twenty minutes. I’ll have a social advocate with me. You gather only what is essential. Medications. Passports. Your son Cassian. And your original architectural files. Nothing else."
"My 2021 portfolio is in the locked study," Imara said, watching a black Lincoln town car pull up to the curb.
"Take the physical drives and the hard copies," Roa commanded. "Leave everything Beck bought you. The jewels, the clothes, the credit cards. We strips him of his leverage tonight."
Imara looked up at the warm light glowing through the hotel glass. She could still hear the faint, elegant scrape of the string quartet playing for the city's elite.
May you like
"He hit me in front of two hundred people, Roa," Imara whispered as the driver opened her door.
"Then two hundred people just became our key witnesses," Roa replied coldly. "Get in the car, Imara. War has officially begun."
