"Did you really go on vacation with Wolf? HOW COULD THIS BE? LORIA, ARE YOU BRAVE OR CRAZY?!" Darcy panicked, realizing that if Zoe stuttered, it meant it was true. She was on vacation with Wolf.
"Wait! Hold on! How did you know?" Zoe's panic momentarily subsided, and she realized Darcy shouldn't have known. They both went very quietly.
"I know from the news, of course! It's very clear that you two went on vacation to Mexico! Vallarta, the beach, and you looked very intimate! This is insane! This is absolutely insane!" Darcy shouted again in panic, while Zoe glanced at Wolf, who was looking at her with a smile.
"Darcy already read it? Her work is always fast," Wolf said calmly.
"YOU KNEW?! Wolf, you knew about this?!" Zoe's infection caused her to scream like Darcy.
Quickly, Wolf grabbed Zoe's phone and turned it off. Darcy shouldn't hear their conversation. Darcy tried to call Zoe again, but Wolf turned it off.
"Let's go back to the room."
"I beat her to it, Zoe. We announced our relationship first. We deprived Emily of the chance to speak up. Emily loses the element of surprise she wanted. She loses because, even if she speaks, no one is surprised anymore. When Emily mentions the competition, few people listen to her. Emily becomes nobody, not a whistleblower."Zoe still understood. She knew well enough what Wolf was doing. But she didn't understand how it would fix the damage."Even if it's not Emily saying it, the damage will still be there, right? People will still see our relationship as a source of cheating. People will talk about your involvement in that competition." Their relationship is still exposed."Yes, but not with the harsh tone Emily hoped for. Read the news again," Wolf requested.Zoe took Wolf's phone and reread it. At first, Zoe didn't understand what Wolf was trying to show her, but on the third read, she realized the news was leaning towards Wolf's wrongdoing.The news wa
"Gracias."Wolf nodded in gratitude to the woman who owned the house they'd be staying in, and she waved before leaving.Concerned that any hotel might not be a safe place, Wolf chose to rent a house near the beach instead. The house was typically rented for longer stays. It was more random and certainly more private than a hotel."Not bad." Wolf had hastily chosen the first place that appeared with the highest rating, and it seemed the rating was accurate.The interior, including the bathroom, kitchen, and others, was in excellent condition, despite the place's seemingly simple wooden walls. They even got the bonus of having a beach in their backyard.The guest house was quieter for them, but, of course, there would be no room service.Unlike Wolf, who was busy inspecting the entire rented house, Zoe stared at her phone and sat on the first chair she found."Has Darcy contacted you again?" Wolf asked."No, just a message." Zoe
"Return to New York right now!" Becca demanded."No. Don't force me, or I won't accept your calls anymore," Wolf threatened, knowing full well he didn't have to take any calls from Becca during his vacation.But after seeing at least fifty unanswered calls from her, Wolf decided to reach out. And Becca's demand to return to New York came immediately."Do you know what the problem is now?!" Becca snapped impatiently."Of course I do. Why do you think I contacted you, if not because of this problem?" Wolf retorted."Then come back. It's...""It's what? I'm not guilty of anything. Dating a woman isn't a mistake," Wolf interrupted.Wolf expected a scolding for the Iris issue, but his relationship with Zoe would not tolerate any more reprimands. It wasn't a professional mistake, from his perspective."But why her?! You know, she's still very new! You're making her...""Is there any negative news about Loria?" Wolf interjected."No; everyt
Zoe had finished getting ready; there was nothing else to do but wait for Darcy to pick her up. But since then, she hasn't been able to sit still. Zoe paced back and forth, checking her bag unnecessarily, then went to the bedroom. She looked at Wolf, who was still sound asleep. Zoe's schedule for today was a bit early, while Wolf would be heading to the office as usual.This was her first day of work after the scandalous news was deliberately spread by Wolf. It made Zoe panic. She didn't even know how to face Darcy.Zoe had enjoyed the rest of her vacation time and occasionally forgot about the problems because she hadn't met anyone. But now, the thought of meeting someone who knew about her problems made Zoe uneasy.When she heard someone opening the apartment door, Zoe turned. She grabbed her bag and jacket as usual, but didn't immediately stand up as usual.She waited until Darcy entered and saw her. Darcy also didn't speak immediately; she sat in front of Zoe
"Why do you want to meet me? Did something happen to Zoe? Is the news stressing her out?" Sara bombarded Wolf with questions as she sat in front of him and started to consume her order, which might contain fourteen spoonfuls of sugar."Zoe panicked and got stressed, but not to the point of being unable to speak. She's fine," Wolf replied.He continued to observe her agitation and anxiety, but until noon today, there had been no reports about Zoe's condition, indicating that she was okay. Zoe also hadn't sent any messages."Thank goodness. I was worried yesterday because I didn't get a reply from her quickly. I thought something had happened." Sara nodded in relief.She had also sent a message to Zoe yesterday, but because Wolf forbade her from using her phone for too long, she missed many messages and calls."So, why did you call me?" Sara asked. Wolf had the idea for them to meet."I want to know what the requirements are to admit someone to a mental h
Zoe was fine, but only up to the point where she had to enter the Wolf building. It certainly took a different kind of courage to enter that building.Her work had been smooth sailing since earlier. There were some people whispering and pointing in her direction, but none dared to confront her like Darcy would. But the Wolf building was where people like Darcy were, and they would question everything."Are you okay? Do you need a drink?" Darcy inquired as Zoe flopped down on the chair in her studio. She felt utterly exhausted after traversing the unexpectedly bustling building. Office hours weren't over yet, and many Wolf employees were still milling about.Zoe tried to act normal, of course—greeting Belle upfront, who fortunately also behaved normally, as well as a few other people she knew.But not everyone could be normal. When Zoe felt she wasn't looking, she clearly caught them whispering and pointing in her direction out of the corner of her eye.
"Darcy, there's no need to be so angry. We just made a little bet for...""I don't care about the bet! But I won't forgive you if you dare to call Loria a cheap woman or anything like that!" Darcy pointed to one of the women, unknown to Zoe."You call Loria that just because you're jealous, don't you? You're jealous because it's not you who's currently with Wolf," Darcy accused, narrowing her eyes."No! Oh my God! What are you talking about? I'm not jealous." The woman Darcy pointed at shook her head, avoiding Darcy's gaze."In that case, shut your mouth! Don't comment on things you don't know. Loria and Wolf are two adults who can obviously do whatever they want. You don't need to interfere or judge!"Darcy straightened up again, challenging them to argue. The receptionist Zoe recognized raised her hand."Calm down, Darcy. We didn't mean to say anything bad about Loria. We were just curious why Wolf chose...""Why are you curious? Are you blind? C
"Yoiu just wairt outside. I'll comne to pick you up."Zoe laughed as she exited the elevator, reading the message from Wolf. She laughed not because of the typo, but because a typo from him was quite extraordinary.Zoe hadn't received messages from Wolf in a long time, feeling a bit nostalgic. It reminded her of the days when she was still competing. She always waited for Wolf's messages to encourage her.Zoe descended the stairs in front of Wolf's office building, standing by the roadside, scanning around to see if Wolf's car was visible. Zoe was relieved that Wolf didn't insist on picking her up. This way of waiting outside allowed them to leave without attracting Wolf's worker's notice."Loria!"Zoe turned around and immediately wanted to run, because the person approaching her was the last person she expected. She saw Max sprinting across the bustling street, heading directly towards her.Zoe wanted to go back inside, but remembered she had to wait