You got the note again: "raise the stakes." So you did: bigger threat, higher cost, more to lose. And the scene still reads flat. Stakes and pressure aren't the same thing. Stakes are what could be lost. Pressure is what makes losing it feel inescapable. You can put the world on the line and still write a slack scene, because your character has a dozen exits: they could walk away, wait it out, call for backup. High stakes with an open door just produce a shrug. Take Die Hard: the stakes...