Chapter 16

A headache came on by itself, pounding at Gabrielle’s temples. She pressed both hands to her forehead, bowing her head deeply.

“What’s wrong?”

There had been no sign of anyone nearby, yet a low voice spoke up close to her. When Gabrielle slowly lifted her head, she saw a neatly dressed man.

“Are you feeling unwell?”

“Executive Director…”

It was Dominic Moore, who had been away on business for the past few days and had only spoken with Gabrielle over the phone. Though they had grown a bit closer, she didn’t want to reveal her personal troubles even to her boss. Gabrielle shook her head with effort.

“It’s nothing.”

“Is that so?”

Dominic replied plainly and set down the documents he was carrying.

“These are last year’s business results. Use these to compile the statistics and submit the report. The sooner, the better.”

As soon as he returned, a mountain of work was dumped on her. Normally, she would have sighed, but in this situation, she was actually relieved. At least while working, she could avoid thinking about anything else.

“Yes, understood.”

“I’m heading out for an external meeting, then going straight home.”

“Yes. See you tomorrow.”

With a willing expression, Gabrielle accepted the documents and got to work.

Although he had said the sooner the better, he hadn’t demanded it by the next day. But Gabrielle, determined to finish all her backlog and the new tasks, focused completely and managed to complete everything.

“Finally done.”

Gabrielle put the last document from the typewriter into an envelope and sealed it, then stood up.

Looking around belatedly, she realized everyone had left and the office lights were off. Alarmed, she checked the clock—it was just barely time for the last bus.

Gabrielle jumped up, quickly packed her things and coat, and left the company.

She ran to the bus stop, but no one was waiting. The last bus had left about five minutes ago. She sighed and held her head.

“I should’ve checked the time… What was I thinking?”

There was no choice but to walk home. But walking alone at night during these times was foolish.

“Still, sleeping at an inn seems a bit much.”

After what happened last time, she was reluctant to sleep anywhere but home. As Gabrielle debated, she glanced back toward the company.

She remembered Hans mentioning there was a staff dormitory. Since it wasn’t a busy season, there would be no one there, so spending the night wouldn’t be a bad idea. She could sleep until dawn, then go home on the first bus to wash and change.

Her hesitation was brief. Gabrielle quickly returned to the company. She told the security guard she had left something inside and entered.

She started searching for the dormitory room. Just then, the door to the Executive Director’s office opened and someone stepped out. Gabrielle found herself face-to-face with him with no time to react.

“…Executive Director?”

Her eyes widened in surprise like a rabbit’s.

“Why are you coming out from there?”

He seemed just as surprised, but quickly replied calmly.

“I left some documents behind.”

“Oh, I see. If you’d told me, I could’ve gotten them for you.”

“And what about you, Miss Brooks?”

His bright yellow eyes scanned Gabrielle up and down as she stood awkwardly.

“You already left and came back, didn’t you?”

“Oh, I also left something behind.”

She didn’t mention missing the last bus or her plan to sleep in the dormitory. It was best not to give her boss any reason to find fault, even over something minor.

“Go ahead then. I’ll just grab what I need and leave.”

Gabrielle gave a quick, polite smile and greeting.

“See you tomorrow.”

Dominic nodded and passed by her. Gabrielle slipped into the Executive Director’s office and silently counted to one hundred. Judging he must have left by now, she cautiously opened the door again. She checked the long hallway, then quietly stepped out.

“The documents?”

A calm voice came from behind. Gabrielle jumped in fright and instinctively covered her mouth.

“The documents…”

He was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, calmly pointing to her hand.

“Oh, that…”

“A clumsy lie is worse than none at all.”

His voice was calm but clearly contained a warning. Gabrielle closed her eyes tightly, then opened them and confessed.

“Actually, I missed the last bus while working, so I came back to sleep in the dormitory.”

Dominic frowned after hearing this and dropped a bombshell.

“The dormitory was removed.”

“What?”

“It was abolished. Some employees were using it as an excuse to drink late and sleep over after work.”

“Oh…”

Gabrielle bit her lip. Her mind went blank. Did she really have to sleep at an inn? Just the thought brought back memories of her previous ordeal, making her whole body tremble. Dominic, watching Gabrielle’s fearful expression, suddenly made an offer.

“I’ll give you a ride.”

Why hadn’t she thought of that? It would be uncomfortable, but better than sleeping at an inn.

“Th-thank you.”

Relieved, Gabrielle accepted his offer.

The drive was silent. Gabrielle felt uneasy about receiving unexpected help and tried to start a conversation to lighten the mood.

“By the way, Executive Director, do you have family waiting for you? I’m sorry if I’m making you get home late because of me.”

They had grown somewhat used to each other over the past few months, but had never shared personal details. He wasn’t married, but with looks like his, surely he had a lover.

Perhaps even a fiancée living with him.

Dominic, keeping his eyes on the road, replied briefly.

“I have no family.”

“Pardon?”

“I live alone, so you don’t need to worry.”

“Oh… I see.”

It was an unexpected answer. So he lived alone. Well, he was old enough to be independent. The conversation ended, and Gabrielle stared down, fiddling with her skirt.

The car was moving quickly, but it felt as slow as riding a turtle. Gabrielle began to wonder if she would suffocate in the silence, when Dominic finally spoke first.

“And you, Miss Brooks?”

“Oh, I live alone too.”

It was less independence and more being kicked out of her home, but in any case, she lived alone. The car soon entered a narrow alley and stopped in front of her villa.

“Thank you so much for the ride, Executive Director.”

Arriving at her door, Gabrielle felt as if she could finally breathe again. She quickly thanked him, opened the car door, and got out.

She hurried up the stairs, grabbed the doorknob, and entered. She changed her shoes and fumbled along the wall to turn on the lights in the dark house.

The moment the house was illuminated, Gabrielle froze, unable to even scream. The house was a complete mess.

The bed sheets were stripped and sprawled on the floor, the dining chairs were all overturned, cosmetics were smashed and scattered on the carpet, and several dishes were shattered and strewn across the floor.

Last night’s chilling warning echoed in her mind.

“Do you think an assassination would happen at such a big performance for no reason? If they’ve recruited insiders, the culprit is probably a hardened assassin or part of a thoroughly organized group.”

“So I could be a target… is what you’re saying.”  

“This place isn’t very secure, so if I were you, I’d look for somewhere else to move. Preferably somewhere with trustworthy people.”

Gabrielle’s mouth went dry. Her heart raced and her hands and feet shook. She wanted to scream, wanted to run, but her body wouldn’t move. All she could do was force her trembling legs to hold her up.

Was it just a simple robbery? No. Maybe Julian had been right. What if the criminal was hiding under the bed or in the bathroom? What if it was the man she saw in the powder room?

If it was a large organization, they might have checked the payphone area where she’d called the police and tracked her down. It was entirely possible.

Just imagining it made her blood run cold. Gabrielle covered her mouth with both hands and slowly backed away.

She barely managed to close the door and step outside when a large hand grabbed her shoulder.

“Kyaaah!”

Gabrielle screamed in terror and collapsed. She squeezed her eyes shut and pleaded.

“I—I don’t know anything. I didn’t see anything! Please, let me go!”

“…….”

“I swear! I didn’t see anything!”

She begged desperately, but there was no reply. Despair piled up over her head. She imagined the criminal already had a gun pointed at her.

Fear, anger, and frustration swirled together. Her lips trembled as she clenched them.

“What do you mean you didn’t know and didn’t see?”

Above her head, a familiar voice spoke. Gabrielle, not realizing at first, remained frozen, curling into herself like a rabbit hiding in its burrow, trembling all over. A low sigh followed.