“What exactly is going on here?”
A tablet was abruptly tossed in front of Enya, who had been leisurely sipping wine while enjoying the night view. When the impact caused the neatly arranged documents to scatter to the floor, Enya raised an eyebrow.
“You seem to have a lot of complaints for me these days, Theodore.”
“With good reason, don’t you think?”
Enya skimmed through the tablet and shook her head slowly, as if she had expected this. The article covered a bomb attack at a famous hotel in Washington state and Federico’s prison break.
“Is Hyungoh safe?”
“I would think so.”
“I want a definite answer.”
“If that boy were dead, do you think Michael would be behaving so quietly right now?”
There would have been quite an uproar, I’m sure. An enormous uproar that even I couldn’t imagine. Enya answered as if soothing a sulking child, while carefully swirling her wine glass, capturing the moonlight in it.
“If you came to ask where that boy is, you’ve wasted your trip. I don’t know, and even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you.”
“Why? Do you want me to stop behaving so quietly and cause an enormous uproar for you?”
“How cute. I was feeling quite bored lately, so if you’d like to personally entertain me, I’d be grateful.”
“……”
“Have you said everything you wanted to say?”
Persisting any further would only disadvantage himself. Theo glared at her fiercely before striding over to sit on the sofa. Damn it. He clutched his forehead and chewed on his curses, but his anger still hadn’t subsided.
At that moment, the elevator doors opened with a cheerful mechanical sound. This time, it was Herick who appeared, his face rigidly frozen.
“…What are you doing here?”
Theo and Herick frowned simultaneously as their eyes met. They exchanged looks that said “why are you here,” but Herick soon vaguely realized they had come for similar purposes and turned his gaze to Enya.
Noticing this, Enya laughed heartily.
“I’m not sure when my office became a meeting place, but I don’t entirely dislike how you’re breaking up this dreary atmosphere.”
“I simply came to ask about the whereabouts of Choi and Michael.”
What, Michael? When not just Hyungoh but also Michael was mentioned, Theo stood up abruptly in disbelief.
“That guy’s gone missing too?”
“Yes, he hasn’t been seen since yesterday and isn’t answering calls.”
“He was always following you around, so what’s with them being separated?”
“Because he was being exploited by your boss until late.”
Feeling a sense of déjà vu at the cold response, Theo immediately turned his head, but she merely shrugged without saying more. He pressed his throbbing temples, trying his best to suppress his irritation.
“Did you plan this? Did you keep him busy to divert Michael somewhere?”
“Your skills at guessing aren’t very good.”
“I can see the corners of your mouth turning up. Why do you keep trying to hide things?”
Enya looked down at her wine glass with a subdued gaze. Subtle emotions mixed in the purple liquid, creating gentle ripples.
“I’m showing minimal kindness because I pity your struggles.”
“What? You showing kindness?”
To whom? Theo approached closer, widening his eyes as if genuinely curious.
“I didn’t expect you to be so surprised.”
“Think about our first meeting; how could I not be surprised?”
“I believe I showed my own kind of kindness even back then, Theodore.”
“That’s ridiculous. I’ve nearly died because of you more times than I can count.”
Seeing Enya laugh out loud, apparently finding his teeth-clenching reaction amusing, Herick stepped in.
“That’s not what’s important right now, Theo.”
Yes, there’s something else that’s important now. He was anxious to the point of fear, unable to even guess what those two might do. Theo pressed his full lips firmly shut, standing behind Herick to calm his excitement.
So you’re determined to get an answer. Faced with their intense stares waiting for her response, Enya reluctantly spoke.
“I’m sorry, but we have no choice but to leave everything that’s about to happen to them.”
“By ‘them,’ you mean Choi and Michael?”
“Yes. Aren’t you looking forward to seeing how they’ll conclude this long battle?”
“By ‘battle,’ do you mean the fight between Cenaline and Gostin?”
“Well, that’s not entirely wrong.”
“…I don’t understand how you can be so relaxed when Federico has escaped from prison.”
“Do you think I should be trembling in fear?”
Herick retreated slightly at the sight of her red lips curling up as if mocking him. Her gaze, illuminated by the blue moonlight, soon returned to its usual gentleness.
“In any case, that man’s target cannot be Cenaline. The Gostin organization has already lost its honor and power, and the whole world is watching them. Their boss has been captured, so internal power struggles for his position have likely already begun.”
It’s unfortunate, but even an organization with a long and proud history can fall in an instant.
As Theo mulled over her words, he suddenly felt uneasy. An anxiety of unknown origin was consuming his entire body, but he had no way of understanding it, which was frustrating.
Federico’s target. Just as the sweat that had formed was cooling rapidly, the image of Hunter collapsing in dark red blood flashed in his mind.
“…Wait, then is Hunter the target?”
Despite his quietly resonating voice, his wide-open eyes were threatening, as if ready to pounce at any moment.
With perfect timing, the darkness beyond the window concealed her expression. After the ensuing silence, Theo let out a short laugh and left without lingering. As he and the perceptive Herick were about to take the elevator down, Enya spoke in a low voice.
“I’ll say it again, but it wasn’t Hunter who killed your father.”
Why do you keep provoking an already sensitive kid? Herick glanced at Theo nervously. Even knowing it was unnecessary worry, he gripped the wall handle tightly, concerned that Theo might damage the elevator in anger.
“I already know that crap.”
The wine glass tilted leisurely at his emotional reaction. What will you do now? As she flashed a sweet smile and framed his face through her fingers, contrary to her expectations, clear eyes met hers. Surprised by this unexpected reaction, her face stiffened, and Theo responded coldly.
“Because I was the one who killed my father.”
