The Breaking Point

A suffocating, dead silence gripped the living room. The gathered relatives stood like wax statues, their smug smirks freezing and fracturing under the weight of the undeniable truth. Kaelen tapped the red button on his screen. The call disconnected, but the echo of the appraiser's professional voice lingered in the air like a physical blow. Ten grand. Authentic.

Sylvia coughed, her cheeks burnin