LOGINWade's head still felt heavy when he stepped out of the lift and entered the ground floor of his office. The dizziness had faded, but the remnants of last night’s events—whatever had happened between him and Estelle—still lingered beneath his slightly shadowed eyes. His stride was steady, though there was a faint tension in his shoulders as if his body were fighting off an inexplicable fatigue.When the automatic glass doors opened, he was greeted by the familiar office air. The space was spacious, spotless and cool, filled with large screens displaying sales graphs, previews of upcoming programmes and a list of artists scheduled to attend next week’s major event. He usually enjoyed this atmosphere, but today everything felt louder than it should have been.Wade’s arrival was greeted by his secretary, Lina Fletcher. She was neat and tidy, with her brown hair styled flawlessly. She approached him with a digital tablet full of agendas and greeted him.“Good morning, sir.”Wade gave a sl
The cold hit Estelle without warning, slicing through her skin like a thin blade of ice and burrowing straight into her bones. It wasn’t caused by a gust of wind or the morning air seeping in through the cracks in the office windows; it came from something far deeper— rejection.Lennon’s words, which Estelle had forced out of him, echoed in her ears like an irrevocable decree. The world trembled; the sky seemed to collapse and crash straight into the soul of Estelle’s wolf like a heavy chain being snapped apart with great force. Despite having prepared herself, Estelle had not expected the pain to strike her again in such a familiar and brutal way, evoking painful memories of her first life as if time had folded back on itself.Estelle felt the source of that piercing agony not in Lennon’s words or the tone of his voice, but in the ring on her finger. It seemed to pulse with a coldness of its own, as if the metal had absorbed all the warmth from her body and was reflecting it back as
The office felt cold in an odd way, not because of the air conditioning, which was always set to a low temperature, but because the atmosphere had frozen the moment Estelle finished speaking.Lennon was still standing behind his desk. Both hands rested on the glass surface. His gaze remained fixed on Estelle, as if he still hadn’t fully grasped what had happened, still trying to process the meaning behind every word she had spoken. Meanwhile, Estelle stood tall, calm and unflinching, with an expression that left him unable to breathe.“Estelle.” Lennon finally spoke. His voice cracked softly, as if he were trying to gather the scattered pieces of logic falling out of his mind. “What... what do you mean?”Estelle looked straight at him. The gentle gaze she used to give him had hardened into something sharp and cold. 'Don't waste my time, Lennon,” she said quietly yet precisely. “I don't want to spend my time answeri
That morning, Nocilium Corp.’s headquarters were filled with a kind of activity that had not yet fully begun. New staff members arrived and crowded the lobby, moving quickly, yet the executive floor remained calm and silent, as always.On the top floor, at the very end of the corridor, Lennon was working. His desk was cluttered with financial reports, contract drafts, merger proposals and small notes that only he could understand.Morning sunlight poured through the large window behind him, casting golden lines across his dark hair. He leaned forward slightly as he read a report.Faith stood beside him. “Sir, I’ve reorganised the export division’s report. Would you like—?”Lennon nodded without lifting his head. “Put it on the desk. I’ll review it after this.”Faith nodded. “All right, sir,” she said, placing the file on the table. Then she exhaled lightly, preparing to leave.
He had no idea how long he had been there, but the darkness continued to imprison Wade's consciousness. He didn’t know whether he was asleep or trapped somewhere between dream and reality. All he could feel was an overwhelming sense of emptiness, as though he were sinking deep underwater, unable to move, his mind drifting in and out of awareness.Then, a shrill sound pierced the darkness. It was faint at first, almost like an echo from an impossibly distant place. But it came again, sharper and closer, forcing its way into his ears.Wade let out a faint groan. His eyelids twitched, struggling to open, but the world felt unbearably heavy. His head felt stuffed with sand and his body no longer felt like his own.The shrill sound came for the third time—now unmistakably the sound of a phone ringing. With tremendous effort, Wade drew in a rough breath and finally opened his eyes. His vision spun for several seconds before the shapes in the room slowly be
The moment Wade’s body went limp, Estelle’s world seemed to stop.Wade slumped sideways onto the sofa and Estelle stared at him, unable to move, for several seconds—too long and too quiet—as if her mind needed time to process what had just happened.After that, Estelle whispered softly. “I’m sorry, Wade.”The sound was barely audible. She spoke with her lips pressed tight, as though she were holding back pain. That was exactly how she felt: tightness in her chest and disgust towards herself.Ironically, Estelle had no other choice. So, she steeled her heart. She would not back down from the plan she had prepared as carefully as possible.Gripping the edge of the sofa, Estelle tried to steady her breathing. Inside her chest, something churned violently. It felt as though shards of glass were grinding against one another—guilt mingling with anger and fear blending with resolve.Meanwhile, Wade la







