Chapter 8

The day of Dominic Moore’s Executive Director inauguration ceremony soon arrived. The ceremony, which he had worked tirelessly for without a proper day off, was a great success, attended by over a hundred guests. Dominic Moore, who had been fretting over the draft of his speech, returned to his usual self as if nothing had happened.

“Good work.”

“Not at all. I’m just glad it went smoothly, Executive Director.”

Gabrielle smiled brightly and greeted him politely.

“I’ll take you home.”

“Oh… No, thank you.”

There was an after-party with the staff following the ceremony. Even as a contract worker, she was unexpectedly included and intended to attend. From the Executive Director’s viewpoint, it might feel bad if the staff went out drinking without him, so she made an excuse.

“I have plans.”

“Plans?”

“Yes. So I don’t think I can, but I appreciate the thought. Good night.”

Gabrielle quickly bid farewell and turned to leave. His gaze lingered on her retreating figure.

* * *

By the time Gabrielle arrived at the after-party, everyone was already tipsy. A colleague she knew waved at her.

“Over here! Why are you so late?”

“I was finishing up some things.”

Gabrielle smiled and sat down, and her colleague immediately ordered drinks.

“You’re always working hard. Everyone knows how diligent you are, Gabrielle.”

“No, it’s just what I’m supposed to do.”

Gabrielle glanced at the clock on the wall, feeling a bit burdened by the full glass of alcohol. Luckily, tomorrow was a day off, so drinking wouldn’t be a problem. Still, she was mindful of the time. She planned to drink moderately and leave at a reasonable hour to avoid another incident like last time when she’d been followed by an assailant.

“Drink up. Bottoms up for the first glass, you know?”

Her colleague playfully urged her to drink. The glass was quite large, so Gabrielle tried to decline.

“Drinking it all at once is a bit much… I’ll sip it slowly.”

“Oh, don’t dodge it again.”

Her colleague frowned and lowered her voice.

“You know it doesn’t look good to always avoid these gatherings, right? Being isolated isn’t good for you.”

Since her falling out with Chief Colton, Gabrielle knew others didn’t think well of her because of what she’d said. Hesitating, she was pressured again by her colleague.

“Come on, drink up. No more dodging.”

Several sharp gazes watched her. If necessary, she could always stay at a cheap nearby inn… Gabrielle closed her eyes for a moment, then picked up her glass and started drinking.

“Wow! You drink well.”

“If you can drink this much, why did you refuse?”

Though the alcohol wasn’t very strong, Gabrielle quickly felt tipsy. Time passed in a blur for her after that. The drinks kept coming, and her mood lifted; she felt almost euphoric, as if her feet were floating.

By the time the party ended, she was staggering.

“Is anyone heading the same way as Gabrielle?”

“No… I’m just going to stay nearby.”

Gabrielle politely declined, waving her hand. She hated inconveniencing anyone.

“Then…”

“Let’s go. I’ll walk you to the nearest inn.”

Someone grabbed her shoulder. It was a male colleague she only knew by face and name. Though the sudden contact made her uncomfortable, she couldn’t refuse. While she hesitated, the man gathered all her belongings and helped her out of the bar.

“Thank you for your help, John.”

She was drunk but not so much that she couldn’t think. As soon as they paid at the inn’s desk, Gabrielle reached for her bag in John’s hand, planning to take it and head up alone—but he suddenly lifted the bag higher.

“John?”

“I’ll take you all the way up.”

“No, really, you don’t have to.”

“Looks like there are only stairs here.”

“Ah…”

Ever since she’d nearly fallen down the stairs while moving, she’d been more careful. The man was indeed a colleague she saw every day, and the inn was just five minutes from the bar. She’d even heard at the party that he was about to get married. Surely, he wouldn’t do anything inappropriate.

“Then, please.”

Instead of answering, John pulled her tightly by the waist.

“This is a bit much…”

“I don’t want you to fall. Is this uncomfortable?”

“…No.”

Forcing herself to shake her head, Gabrielle let John help her up the stairs. 

When they finally reached her room, she quickly snatched her bag back.

“Thank you so much. See you tomorrow.”

There was no reply. His silent stare made Gabrielle uncomfortable as she turned the door handle. The moment she stepped inside—

“You’re just going to kick me out like this?”

John followed her in and grabbed her wrist. Shocked by the unexpected situation, Gabrielle trembled.

“W-What are you doing?”

“You were tempting me too.”

“Get out!”

The sudden crisis sobered her instantly. Her vision went dark. Gabrielle managed to shake off John’s hand. But John easily grabbed both her wrists, pinning her, and breathed hotly against her neck.

“You were giving me silent permission. Don’t resist.”

“No!”

She wanted to escape, but her body wouldn’t obey. It felt like she was drowning in a black swamp.

At that moment, someone kicked the door open and entered.

John turned angrily.

“What the… Ugh!”

A fist struck his jaw.

“Kyaa!”

Startled, Gabrielle screamed and quickly moved away from them. The one grabbing John’s collar and punching him was none other than Julian. With his large hands, Julian struck John’s face repeatedly, and John soon began to beg for mercy, screaming.

“Stop… Please… Aagh!”

Blood poured from his nose, covering his face. Unable to watch anymore, Gabrielle tried to stop Julian.

“Stop! That’s enough! He’ll die at this rate!”

Julian brushed her arm aside like swatting away an annoying bug. Unfazed, Gabrielle grabbed his arm again.

“Please! You don’t need to become a murderer because of a man like him!”

Just then, perhaps because of all the commotion, someone had called the police, and the sound of a car engine was heard outside the window. Looking out, Gabrielle spoke urgently.

“It’s the police.”

Julian, eyes cold and blue, glared at John before tossing him to the floor. He turned sharply and warned,

“I was never here.”

“What…?”

“I was never here. Understand?”

His pitch-black gaze glimmered in the darkness. Gabrielle instinctively stepped back, feeling like she was facing a wild beast in a dark cave. She nodded, her skin crawling.

“…Yes.”

Hearing her answer, Julian opened the door and disappeared. Gabrielle collapsed to the floor in a daze just as the police burst in and found her.

* * *

After the incident, John was suspended, and Gabrielle received several days of paid leave.

It was a serious matter, and he should have been punished much more severely, but with her contract renewal coming up, Gabrielle decided to cover up the incident to avoid causing trouble.

Julian’s words from when they drank tea at her house weighed on her mind. Contrary to her expectations, he might be an illegal resident or involved in something shady.

But despite Gabrielle’s feelings, rumors spread quickly, and even people who rarely spoke to her began to approach.

“I heard someone helped you that night?”

“Oh, that… I really don’t know. It all happened so fast.”

Fortunately, John was too drunk to remember who had hit him, only that someone had attacked him, so he didn’t recall Julian’s face. Gabrielle smiled and brushed off the questions.

“Anyway, lunch break is over. I’ll get back to work.”

Several disappointed gazes followed her. Ignoring their curiosity, Gabrielle quickly returned to her duties.

Thankfully, Chief Colton, who would normally have rushed over to pry into the story, hadn’t shown up at all. With her absent, no one else came to the Executive Director’s office, which was a relief.

Just as she was calming her mind and starting to type, the door burst open.

“You’re here.”

The visitor was Dominic Moore, who had been out all day on business. Gabrielle’s eyes caught sight of his hand—it was bandaged.

“Did you hurt your hand?”

“Yes, well.”

Dominic replied carelessly and took off his jacket. Gabrielle stepped forward to take it from him.

“Are you alright? Shouldn’t you take sick leave?”

“I always think about it.”

As he passed by her, Dominic turned his head. His gaze was cold and emotionless, as if looking at an object, sending chills down Gabrielle’s spine. Feeling an odd sense of déjà vu, Gabrielle shrank back, and his sarcastic words stabbed at her heart.

“You’re really nosy.”

“Excuse me?”

“Well, I guess that’s why you let that guy off easy.”

Not only did he stab her in the heart, he twisted the knife. Gabrielle’s intention to let it pass vanished instantly.

“You say things so easily, Executive Director. Do you have blue blood or something?”

“What?”

It was the first time she’d ever pushed back. Dominic’s brow furrowed, his eyes stinging, lips trembling.

“Have you ever tried to see things from my perspective?”

Though she had so much to say, all she could manage was that one question.

It was because of the performance review. She needed to renew her contract.

People who always stood in positions of privilege and power would never understand the things she had to go through. Their attitude, trampling and ignoring her struggles as if it was nothing, made her furious.