Hesta looked at Madam Bronbo under the lamp, her right hand resting quietly on the table while her left hand tapped impatiently against her thigh.
"...You let them go first." Hesta caught a breath and naturally cut off Madam Bronbo's words. "I don't negotiate with people who coerce me. We'll talk whenever Elu comes back."
"That's easy to handle. I can release him tonight—no, right now," said Bronbo. "You can see him in the second half of the night."
Hesta stood up and paced back and forth in front of the window, where the blinds had already been lowered. "I still need time to consider."
"Fifty million." Madam Bronbo held up five fingers.
"This isn't about money—"
"Sixty million."
"I said this isn't—"
"Eighty million." Madam Bronbo looked at Hesta. "This is extra from me. Add that to the money House Schiller gave you before, and I think it should be enough for you to start any enterprise that interests you in District 12. Won't you consider it, child?"
Hesta cast a slight sideways glance.
The old woman smiled. "If this drags on any longer, I won't be able to offer a higher price. This is my limit, and... once I walk out this door tonight, there won't be another chance."
"What do you mean?"
"Inspector," the old woman also leaned back slightly, resting against the back of her chair with one leg comfortably crossed over the other, "I came to see you tonight not to negotiate with you, nor to plead with you. I came tonight to give both sides a chance..."
The old woman looked at Hesta's profile, vaguely sensing that she might not get the desired result tonight. Until this moment, she suddenly felt she might have used the wrong strategy; perhaps her overly generous offer would