"Impossible." Amber said calmly, standing up and circling around the table. "Penelope, don't be delusional. You might save yourself with these, but don't expect anything more."
Wind howled on the 38th floor, threatening to whisk away the papers in Penelope's grasp.
A few sheets of paper, from such a height, would likely be lost forever.
"Are you sure? Amber, these are your son's relics!"
At the mention of 'relics', Amber's heart pierced with pain.
Both women were at an impasse, while outside, security had surrounded the office.
Penelope wasn't going anywhere tonight.
Her face showed a resolution regardless of death, causing Amber's back to soak with nervous sweat.
"Penelope, security has the office surrounded. Give me the items, and I promise you'll leave safely today."
With no other choice, Amber tried negotiating.
Penelope was beyond reason. Life or death is no longer a concern to her. She was unwilling to listen to such appeals.
"I'll count to three. If you don't decide, I'll tear them up and throw them down!" Penelope pulled her hand back, ready to rip the papers.
The situation was dire. Amber thought it over and cautiously approached.
"Don't rush. This benefits neither of us. Let's talk this through..."
"Three."
"Penelope! Can't we talk this out?"
"Two."
"Wait!" Amber was almost in front of Penelope.
"One!" Seeing Amber's hesitation, Penelope resolutely followed through on her threat, turning to toss the items.
Amber shrieked and lunged towards the window, half her body hanging off the 38th floor, fingers instinctively gripping the window frame.
But it was futile. Before she could react, Penelope lunged, grabbed her legs, and pushed her outward. Amber, already off-balance, nearly plummeted.
"Penelope, you madwoman! I warn you, my office has cameras!" Amber's vision darkened, fear overwhelming her.
Her hands flailed but found nothing, putting her in a precarious position.
Retrieving Sunny's relics was impossible; now, Amber struggled to save herself.
"Die, Amber, just die!" Penelope, in a fit of madness, screamed and shoved with all her might. Amber tried to hold back for mere seconds but she couldn't resist the push.
As her body inched outward, a glimpse downward was a view of the world below. But Amber refused to look.
Glass shards cut her palms, piercing her stomach, agony searing through her.
"Penelope! If I die, you won't survive either!"
"I've wanted to die for so long! If Landon wants me dead, what's the point of living!" Penelope raved, reason long abandoned.
Repositioning herself for better leverage, she exclaimed, "Together we will die!" and pushed with all her might—
Terror gripped Amber's heart as she screamed, her body suspended in mid-air.
In the moments before death, one's life flashes before their eyes.
Almost every scene in Amber's flashbacks featured Landon.
Helping him when she was a child, years of pining for him, secretly admiring him and feeling jealous...
Even scenes of being hurt by him and watching him repent.
Each memory etched deeply, while Sawyer's three years of tenderness flashed briefly.
Suddenly, Amber understood her heart.
