Listening intently to the phone, Aron nodded along, absorbing every word Max said. His facial expressions shifted second by second, eyebrows raising, jaw tightening, until Max finally finished explaining what had happened.
Aron let out a long breath through his nose, forcing himself to stay calm.
"I see… It's a good thing you're okay now," Aron said. "So you just left the shop and decided to get your suit?"
Max didn't answer right away, but Aron continued anyway.
"I can understand your situation. There's just… a slight issue," he added. "You see, the shopping mall? It's actually owned by one of your family members. One of the Sterns."
There was a pause on the other end of the line. Silence that told Aron Max had stopped in his tracks.
Then came the question he'd been expecting, the one Max was probably dreading.
"Which one?" Max asked.
"It's Karen Stern," Aron replied.
