"He never considered you as the third person; he regarded you as a brother, as the future of the nation."
Casare's voice was not loud, yet it struck Cuauhtémoc's heart like a heavy hammer.
The living room was deathly silent, with only the ticking of the clock on the wall.
Casare's gaze fell on Cuauhtémoc's face with the precision of a scalpel. He gently withdrew his arm that had been grasped, his movement was small but carried an undeniable decisiveness.
"I've brought the Supreme Leader's message. Don't make it hard for me." Casare lowered his voice further, ensuring every word was heard solely by Cuauhtémoc, "Now, please let Tatiana come down. The Supreme Leader has final words that need to be conveyed to her alone."
"Alone? Final?!!!"
Cuauhtémoc's voice trembled, the last glimmer of hopeful light in his eyes completely extinguished.
His body swayed, almost unable to stand steady.
