Sara screamed as loudly as possible. Wolf could hear it very clearly, even without putting the phone in his ear."Who?" Wolf sat up and listened."ZOE! She's gone! When I woke up, she was already gone!"Wolf opened his eyes, stood up—startled, but regretted it as his head still hadn't improved. He almost stumbled from the pain."What do you mean? Where is she?" Wolf asked."Yesterday, she stayed at my place! I brought her home because she wouldn't stop crying. She cried herself to sleep, but this morning she's gone. I wanted to wake her up, but she's gone!" Sara's voice was genuinely panicked."I'll find her," said Wolf. He didn't know how, but he promised to make Sara stop talking. Her screams made Wolf's headache worse."BUT DON'T MAKE HER CRY AGAIN! Because of your stupidity...""I made her talk!" Wolf defended himself."That's not talking! You pushed her to the brink of desperation! It was an uncontrollable emotion, and I'm afraid it will be even harder for her to talk after this.
Wolf moved to another place—one that had more sticky notes—in the studio next to his workspace. He touched each note on his desk, containing Zoe's more normal ramblings. She had asked him in detail about sound editing and some new vocal techniques he wasn't familiar with.They talked about many things, all grounded in reality. Wolf had forgotten some memories, but now they all came flooding back. Wolf's gaze fell on a slightly separate sticky note. Zoe had handed him that note in the recording room, and Wolf took it out to stick it somewhere else. Wolf placed it in a different location than the others.[Thank you].It was Zoe's first thank-you.Wolf took off the note, throwing himself onto the chair. He rubbed his face, recalling that moment. He had only offered her a drink and a cloth to wipe away her tears—something so simple. Yet Zoe expressed genuine gratitude with a smile, even though she was crying.It meant Zoe hadn't received much kindness in the past few years. She had suffer
"He's gone."Tiana informed Zoe, who was curled up near the window. Zoe nodded, a gesture of gratitude. The nod caused the suppressed tears to fall."I..."Tiana wanted to say, 'I told you so,' when she saw Zoe in such a pitiful state.But Tiana couldn't bring herself to be so heartless. Despite the warnings, Zoe had made her choice. It was too late; she couldn't undo the emotions that now made her cry.Tiana sat in front of her and examined Zoe's wrists, bruised from Wolf's grip yesterday. "He didn't ask you to do anything strange, did he?"Tiana suspected Wolf might have done something irrational, as Zoe hadn't shared anything about what had happened.Zoe shook her head but didn't elaborate further. She didn't want to move her hands to write or type. She had come seeking a hiding place, and for Tiana, that was enough. She would protect her."Wolf said he heard your voice. Is that true?" Tiana asked.Zoe's tears flowed again. She wiped them away, but they kept falling. The disappoint
"He doesn't want to meet me," Wolf said to Sara, who seemed to sigh."No sh*t, Sherlock. That's genius." Sara sarcastically remarked, as it didn't take a genius to figure out why Zoe didn't want to meet him."Do you think treating a woman roughly like that will make them adore you?" Sara hissed, releasing the frustration she had been holding back since yesterday.Wolf tried to unwind by rubbing his still-throbbing forehead and sitting in the lengthy chair that Sara's patients typically use during talk sessions. Wolf wasn't Sara's patient, but he had laid on that chair before today for a physical session."Is it true that after this, Zoe will find it even harder to talk?" Wolf asked, closing his eyes. His body needed rest, having been too tense since yesterday."That's just a possibility. I concluded. Zoe's inability to speak comes from fear, desperation, and negative feelings like that. She spoke yesterday because she felt forced. Angry and desperate due to what you said to her. That'
Becca frowned in confusion but then shook her head. "Nope. Are you not feeling well?"The question was a surprise that should never have come out of Wolf's mouth.“Why? We can sleep together every day if you want.” Wolf responded, offended because Becca's answer came out so casually.“Maybe, but most likely you'll be sleeping with other women every day too. I don't want to marry a man like that. Although I am not married yet, I understand that marriage encompasses more than just physical intimacy. There are many other things.” Becca explained her reasons bluntly. She could see that Wolf wasn't angry. He was irritated, but not angry.“Oh... Okay.” Wolf dismissed Becca with a wave of his hand while leaning his chin on his desk to think.Until now, Wolf had underestimated marriage because he didn't want the burden of being faithful, and of course, he thought marriage was something he could easily attain. But so far, the two women closest to him have clearly stated their refusal if the op
Upon arriving at the building specified by Iris, Wolf easily found an underground parking space reserved exclusively for him as the building owner. Although Wolf rarely visited, the parking spot was always vacant for him.Wolf headed straight to the second floor of the basement, where the office managing the building's administration was located.Wolf, who usually only visited every six months to inspect the conditions and receive financial reports, surprised several people as he entered."Mr. Wolf? You didn't inform us that you were coming!" Bob, the manager overseeing the entire operation of the building, exclaimed. Other staff members also stood up from their seats as Bob approached Wolf."I want to check on something," said Wolf.Bob was not only surprised but also fearful. His hands trembled, fearing that Wolf might find fault."What can... What do you want to check? Can I help you with anything?" Bob tried to sound calm."Was there an accident in this building three years ago? S
Bob knocked on the door and was greeted by a surprised face when Wolf opened it."Just continue with your usual tasks," said Bob to that man. He then immediately led Wolf towards a large computer that served as the central hub for all CCTV recordings in the building. He selected a folder and showed the footage to Wolf.As Wolf sat in the chair provided by Bob and began playing the selected video recordings, he asked, "Is this the raw footage or the footage selected by the police?""This one is for the police. The raw footage is over here." Bob pointed to his computer screen, which displayed more folders. Bob specialized in creating copies and handing them over to the police for their reports."Did you report this to me?" Wolf asked. He couldn't recall receiving a report like this before."Yes, I sent it along with the monthly financial report. It includes details of the incident and other information," Bob explained.Wolf sighed internally. He didn't remember because he had never cons
"Did the police also question you when you handed over the footage, and did you say exactly the same thing as Billy did to the police?" Wolf guessed."Of course. I'm not covering up the truth," Bob confidently affirmed.Wolf couldn't even be angry because Bob didn't feel like he had done anything wrong. He didn't feel like he had conveyed Billy's version of the truth to the police.Billy manipulated Bob. Billy implanted the idea of what happened in Bob's head, and eventually, Bob repeated it to the police. Thus, it was a perfect story.But Wolf, who didn't know any story behind the soundless video from the beginning and watched all the CCTV footage without prejudice, found it easier to discover strange details.The police might have overlooked it, having heard testimonies from both Bob and Billy—and surely Max, who was under Billy's influence, while Zoe couldn't defend herself as she was in the hospital.Wolf sighed. There was a bit of enlightenment, but he still couldn't understand t