"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 waitWolf drove the car faster to get away from Max, then peeked through the rearview mirror, seeing the loser still standing frozen in place. Too shocked, perhaps.Wolf shook his head. He briefly thought about sending someone to shoo him away, but then decided not to bother and turned his attention back to Zoe."Don't worry. That loser won't bother you or anyone else. That guy is completely nuts! And why are there so many crazy people in this world?"Wolf sighed, trying to reassure Zoe. He remembered dealing with another crazy woman earlier that afternoon.But as he was about to pat Zoe's back, Wolf found out that his assumption was completely wrong.When Zoe lifted her head and removed her hands from her face, what he heard was a loud burst of laughter.With surprise, Wolf turned and saw Zoe laughing gleefully, tears streaming down her face."You're laughing? You've been laughing all this time." Wolf shook his head, snorting, as he felt once again dec
Zoe crossed out the writing on the paper, correcting the lyrics that she thought weren't interesting enough. She then shifted her chair to face the electric piano next to her desk and pressed a few keys to find the right notes.Wolf's faith in Zoe's ability to create her own music was growing, even though the results still needed a lot of polishing and had not yet become the title track for his album. Wolf continued to encourage Zoe to be creative.It was exhausting because it meant Zoe had to use her free time to learn and keep learning, but Zoe didn’t mind. She did not want her singing career to stagnate. Her talent and skills in songwriting might not be as strong as her vocal abilities, but Zoe would not stand still without learning.“Yes?”Zoe turned to see Darcy, who had been sitting in front of her laptop, arranging Zoe's schedule and receiving calls from who knows whom. It was just the two of them in the studio.Zoe turned back to he
A while later, Wolf gazed at the number he'd blocked for several months. Hesitant, but necessary. Wolf finally unblocked the number and pressed the dial button. Calling. She answered the call on the second ring."TOMMY!" Her response was filled with both excitement and surprise. Emily didn't expect Wolf to call."I miss you! You finally want to talk to me again!" Emily sounded touched."Enough! Your drama is not important. I want to talk!" Wolf snapped."Of course, come over. I'll be at home." Emily responded eagerly."No, I..." Wolf was about to say that he only wanted to talk over the phone, but Emily didn't want to hear it and had already ended the call."Cursed creature!" Wolf cursed while dialing Emily again, but there was no answer.It was impossible for Emily not to hear or to leave her phone—because it was only less than two seconds before the call connected again.Emily deliberately didn't answer. She didn't want to hear from Wo
Emily admires herself in the mirror, turning to see if her dress is provocative enough. She chooses a dark blue dress that clings tightly to her body with a very low neckline, revealing most of her shoulders and chest. It's a deliberate choice to seduce, but she's not satisfied yet.Emily then picks another dress in a deep red color. Bolder, with a V-neckline, is more provocative, as the front split goes all the way to the edge of her stomach. Not to mention the additional slit on the thigh area that reaches the upper thighs.After changing into the red dress, Emily finally smiles contentedly. Her intentions perfectly align with her outfit. Her still-beautiful figure forms perfectly. Usually, men's eyes would follow wherever her legs went, too mesmerized. And Wolf is a man too, so it should be the same."Which one?" Emily wonders while brushing her hand over her collection of expensive perfumes, then chooses the blue one—its fresh scent is reminiscent of summer.
Just before the surface of the wine touched her lips, Wolf lowered his glass and looked at Emily with a smirk."You seem eager to see me drink it. Is this wine really that special?" Wolf swirled the glass in his hand, still smiling.Emily panicked. "What do you mean? What's wrong with the wine?" Emily pretended to inspect the wine in her glass and took another sip."The wine is delicious. There's nothing strange about it," Emily continued to evade."I think you must think I'm very foolish." Wolf placed the wine glass on the table and stared at Emily."I saw you switch the positions of this wine earlier. Did you think I wouldn't notice?" Wolf laughed.Wolf certainly saw when Emily behaved oddly earlier. She just had to push the wine glass toward him, but instead, she struggled to switch positions when she changed seats.Emily shook her head, but Wolf gestured for her to be silent."But even without that, I wouldn't touch anything handed to me b
"Go ahead. I won't consider you to exist. You can try, and Loria will defeat you again. Your desire to possess me will never end beautifully."This was the first time Wolf said it clearly. All this time, his attitude showed rejection, but he never explicitly stated anything. Maybe that was the mistake that made Emily blind and stubborn enough to keep trying."Tommy, please...""Stop calling me that!" Wolf exclaimed disgustedly.Even his father didn't call him by that name. Just plain Thomas. Tommy was a forced affectionate nickname that Emily used to manipulate him."I... love you. You can't leave.""Leave? I would have to stay on first for that. I never did and never will stay near you, so I'm not leaving you! Get that through your head! We are nothing, and even bearing the title of stepmother, you are not worthy, Demon." Wolf spat out. He's sick of Emily's whining."But I did it because I love you. You can't understand?" Another whimper elicited a grimace from Wolf."You call that l
Zoe furrowed her brow as she listened to the recording results obtained by Wolf from Emily. Hearing how Emily tried to justify her actions towards Wolf with words of love sounded disgusting."There's no need to listen to it anymore," Wolf reprimanded, turning to pour his cooking onto the plate. Sausages and asparagus."I think you need to cut some parts to make it sound better. You sound too harsh there," Zoe said, handing the phone back to Wolf and taking her portion of the plate. The part where Emily screamed when Wolf poured wine sounded like attempted murder."It seems you have a lot of experience in editing recordings," Wolf remarked as he sat down and began to eat as well.Zoe smiled shyly, looking down. Wolf was obviously alluding to Zoe's past acts of revenge by manipulating Iris's voice recordings."I won't do anything to that recording. I'm afraid the police won't consider it valid evidence if the recording has been edited," Wolf said.Undoubtedly, editing would render the e
"I'll handle it." Wolf stood before Zoe. He wants to know who the uninvited guest is.Wolf didn't immediately open the door. He checked through the peephole and saw two men waiting patiently, not appearing threatening. So, he opened the door."Oh?" The man waiting seemed surprised to find Wolf opening the door."Who are you?" Wolf asked."Does Mrs. Zoe Edison live here?" the man in front asked.Wolf frowned. He had never heard anyone mention Zoe's name like that before. Usually, if not Loria, then Zoe Anderson. His last name is not associated with Zoe."Who are you?" Wolf asked again. He wouldn't provide answers before they gave clear information."Oh, sorry. We're members of the NYPD. I'm Detective Benson." The man in front raised his coat to confirm his identity, showing his badge."Who came?" Before Wolf could ask further, Zoe, curious, followed behind Wolf to see who had come."AGH!" Zoe let out a small scream and stepped back from th
"LORIA MOREAU!"Zoe froze. She heard her name, but couldn't believe it was hers."Wake up, baby. And smile. It’s yours."Wolf's whisper finally stirred emotions in Zoe. She blushed with emotion, only able to stand when Wolf helped her. Unfortunately, Wolf couldn't escort her to the stage.Luckily, Syanne's hand was there to assist her, followed by Jacob, who was closest to the stage, helping her navigate the stairs to reach the top.Zoe expressed her gratitude several times to the person presenting her award before finally standing in front of the microphone to deliver her speech.Zoe took a few deep breaths, wiping away tears, before finally being able to address the camera and the patiently waiting audience."This is something I never dreamed of, standing here and receiving this." Zoe glanced down at the trophy in her hands once more and smiled."I... I once buried this dream. I no longer hoped to sing, let alone receive this. Not long
Zoe did something that Wolf would not like. She wouldn't lie, but she would inform him later, once the task was complete. Zoe wants to handle this herself without anyone else's interference.Of course, it's not easy. She walks with an anxious heart. Zoe adjusts her sunglasses several times on her nose, while her other hand carries a beautiful pink flower and gift box.Zoe feels anxious, knowing that people will recognize her when she enters later. But she's resigned. It's not possible to hide her identity now, considering the person she's going to meet.Approaching the counter after filling out a form with the prisoner's name and number, Zoe submits it."Please wait over there. We'll call you," says the prison guard behind the counter.He stares at Zoe several times as another guard checks Zoe's belongings—making sure no contraband is smuggled, glancing to confirm—even reading her name on the form but doesn't comment.Relieved—because
"Here." Wolf handed the cup to Zoe.Zoe wanted to take it, but her hands were still busy responding to messages on her phone."Cliff really doesn't have a girlfriend, does he?" Zoe asked."Hm? Why are you asking?" Wolf asked suspiciously."For Sara. She wanted to confirm this because she doesn't believe someone like Cliff is still single.Zoe sighed, showing the message Sara sent to her. Showing that she wasn't lying. She was indeed asking for Sara, not for herself."Not yet. According to Clay, he used to have one—a journalist or an MC, if I'm not mistaken. But they broke up when Cliff was about to move here. Either he moved and then they broke up, or they broke up and then he moved."Wolf just repeated Clay's words, of course. And now Zoe repeated them in the form of a message to Sara and sent it to reassure her."How do you know these details?" After sending the message and taking her cup, Zoe asked in amazement. The knowle
"Should have been in jail..."Max denied reality once again. For him, Loria still couldn't possibly be Zoe because she should have been in jail."You're endlessly foolish!" Billy slammed the table and went berserk.He grabbed Max by the collar with his handcuffs. Of course, chaos ensued immediately, and shouts erupted as the police guarding the area rushed in to subdue Billy, pinning him to the ground.But evidently, Billy was truly furious with Max, as he continued to resist and curse at Max even while being held down."YOUR STUPIDITY KNOWS NO BOUNDS!""SILENCE!"The judge's thundering voice overshadowed Billy's outburst. Not only Billy fell silent, but also the journalists and spectators who were making noise."Once again, if anyone disturbs me, I will reschedule this trial! UNDERSTOOD?!"The silence in the room signified that they all understood."Take him out. Mr. Dacosta, I'll make sure your charges include this incident. Assaul
The prosecutor began with standard questions, asking about Sara's background—education, how long she had been a psychiatrist, and so on. Only after that did she mention Zoe."Since when has Ms. Zoe Anderson been your patient?" the prosecutor asked."For over a year," Sara replied clearly. Gone was the cheerful demeanor she usually wore when facing patients."Can you explain Ms. Anderson's condition at that time?""Zoe came with a desire to heal because she suffered severe trauma that was very visible and prevented her from leading a normal life.""Could you please explain more about that trauma?"Sara nodded calmly because everything matched the expectations given by Cliff."Zoe came in a state where she couldn't speak, but medical examinations showed that Zoe didn't have any physical injuries anymore. The absence of any disturbances in her nerves confirmed that her inability to speak was a result of PTSD. Severe trauma due to a bad incident
"That's... Strange. You must be kidding!" Iris shook her head vigorously while staring at Zoe from head to toe, trying to recognize her as the same person she saw before with Max."Have I ever joked when talking to you?" Wolf replied flatly, pulling a chair for Zoe. The chair is furthest from Iris. She was still at a loss for words and kept staring at Zoe."Are you really Zoe Anderson?" Iris continued to stare at Zoe."Yes, before I changed my name to Loria Moreau, that was also my name." Zoe replied calmly. The apprehension that had plagued her earlier had vanished.The meeting with Iris might have been unexpected and almost annoying, but Zoe felt empowered, knowing that she was currently in control.Seeing Iris's surprise, Zoe felt satisfaction. A victory for successfully showing her new self to Iris. Zoe was no longer the disheveled individual she had encountered, who garnered disdain due to her perceived inferiority."That's impossible! You don't lo
Zoe smoothed her cream-colored skirt and blazer. Darcy's choice, so Zoe wouldn't appear intimidating or grim.She felt nervous, as she could see from a distance how journalists were crowding in front of the courthouse. They were undoubtedly waiting for the enigmatic figure of Zoe Anderson. There were no images of Zoe in the news because there was no documentation of Zoe's case.Due to her prior injuries and hospitalization, Zoe did not attend the trial as a suspect. No one recorded her face or bothered to find out at the hospital because the case clearly made her a suspect.Zoe also ran her fingers through her hair, which was back to being blonde. She wasn't wearing a wig today. It was the first time she would appear without her black hair, and honestly, it made Zoe even more nervous. It felt like she was removing the mask that had protected her. Zoe would be Zoe in front of everyone, no longer Loria.Wolf, who had been observing Zoe's nervousness, said, "Your be
"He's trying to save himself! So cunning!" Wolf hissed irritably.It was clear from Iris's statement that she only wanted to save herself by blaming Max and Billy."She made them look like she was under pressure to hide the truth about Zoe. Iris then used that pressure as an excuse to justify all her strange actions. She hid from her mistakes by using mental health as an excuse." Sara shook her head, looking annoyed. She was obviously upset when someone used mental health as a lie."She managed to escape using a lifeboat before her ship really sank." Cliff looked at Iris, who continued to sob and cry amidst her words."It doesn't matter. Let it be," Zoe said, folding her arms and staring at the television without blinking."What do you mean, let it be? She's lying again!" Wolf also pointed to the television with a disapproving face."At least she has been honest, especially about me. Whatever she said makes things right; just let it be," Zoe repeated.
"Why so fast?" Zoe stared at the summons she had received in panic.When Benson mentioned that she would receive a summons to attend court, Zoe assumed the trial would take place maybe around one or two months later, but it turned out to be only three days later and effective in two days."I think Benson waited until his file was complete before calling you. That's why now he just has to submit it to the court, and the schedule comes down immediately," Cliff explained. He took the letter from her hand to examine it."I only have to come once, right?"Zoe asked to confirm, as she really didn't want to attend the trial multiple times."Yes, that's why I asked to meet with the psychiatrist who treated you. I need to ask them to answer questions about your condition well. They have to give the right answers for the judge to grant the request," Cliff explained today's plan."I think they'll be here soon. She said they still had a patient earlier,