At nine o'clock that evening, Stevanie lay in bed, exhausted. Oska, Annchi, and a doctor who had been called to examine her were in the room.
The doctor carefully checked Stevanie's blood pressure with a sphygmomanometer, occasionally placing a stethoscope on her arm.
"How is she, doctor?"
"It appears your wife is severely fatigued from excessive bowel movements. I advise avoiding any soy products or foods containing soy in the future. Mrs. Stevanie's allergy is quite severe."
"Understood. We will be more careful from now on."
"Here are some iron supplements and vitamins. Given her low blood pressure, Mrs. Stevanie should rest for two to three days and avoid any strenuous activities."
"Thank you very much, doctor."
"You're welcome. I'll take my leave now."
"Mrs. Fexiao, please escort the doctor to the front door."
"Yes, sir."
Mrs. Bao also followed, seemingly feeling guilty for what had happened to Stevanie.
Shortly after, Annchi's mother opened her eyes.
"Aw my head! What happened?"
"Oh, Mom! I'm so glad you're awake. You fainted in the bathroom. Dad carried you to your room and called a doctor to check on you."
"I fainted?"
"Yes," Oska confirmed. "The doctor just left. He gave you some supplements. You should start taking them."
"This is all that wretched maid's fault. Where is she? I'll strangle her to death."
"Whoa, hold on a second. I'm not letting you out of bed. You need to take your medicine and rest."
Oska handed Stevanie a cup of water after she had swallowed two round pills.
Stevanie seemed calmer, though her forehead was still furrowed in pain from the lingering tension.
"For the next day or two, you should skip work and rest. The doctor recommended that you take it easy to regain your strength."
"Fine."
"Why didn't you mention you had such an allergy?"
"It's none of your business. You wouldn't have cared if I did tell you, right?"
"Why would you say that? You should be grateful I didn't cook any soy for you when I made dinner last night. Is there any other medical condition I should be aware of?"
"No, just the soy allergy. But sometimes I feel like there's something in my head."
"Something in your head?"
"Yeah, like there's some kind of bug inside my brain playing with my thoughts. It feels like it's pulling threads from one nerve to another. I don't know what it is, but I can't control it."
Oska nodded thoughtfully. From his time at the Pentagon, he had encountered information about medical conditions that seemed similar to what Stevanie was describing.
Though he was more interested in scientific principles like gravity, Oska had a knack for absorbing knowledge about human physiology and mental health. He had a good grasp of whether someone might be dealing with a psychological condition.
A fleeting, devilish smile crossed his face, but he quickly masked it with his usual calm demeanor.
"You should get some rest now. It's getting late. You too Annchi, let me take you to your room."
Just as he was about to leave, Stevanie grabbed Oska's hand.
"Oska, could you stay with me tonight?" Stevanie's voice was trembling, her usual composure completely unraveled. "I… I know I was cruel to you on our first night together. But tonight, for some reason, I just can't stand the thought of being alone. Please, just stay with me."
Despite her occasional irrationality, Stevanie was undeniably captivating. Her Asian features were striking—wide, expressive eyes, naturally red lips, and glossy, black hair that framed her face beautifully. When she looked at him with such vulnerability, it was impossible not to be moved.
Even though Oska had promised himself not to fall for her charms, seeing her so exposed and pleading stirred something deep within him. His resolve weakened, softened by the sight of her distress.
Oska and Annchi exchanged a long, thoughtful look. Annchi finally offered a gentle smile.
"It's alright, Dad. I can manage on my own. You stay with Mom tonight."
"Alright, sweetheart. Goodnight, Annchi. Watch out for any bedbugs."
Annchi gave a playful stick-out-of-the-tongue gesture before heading to her room. Oska stood by the window, his mind racing, as he dialed a number on his phone.
In a distant hotel room, a young woman's phone rang. The sound cut through the quiet, an urgent tone in the night.
"Hello, Jennie."
"Yes, sir?"
"Stevanie won't be at the office for the next two days. I need you to use this time to execute the plan we discussed earlier. The documents you need are in the safe behind the painting in Stevanie's office, the one behind her chair. I'll send you the combination shortly. Goodnight."
Oska hung up the phone and quickly typed the combination into a message, sending it to Jennie discreetly, without Stevanie's knowledge.
"Oska? Who were you calling at this hour?"
"Oh, I just called Jennie. I informed her that you'll be taking a few days off due to illness."
"I see."
Oska sat down beside his wife on the bed, his face shadowed with concern.
"Oska, do you hate me?"
"What? Why the sudden question? It sounds like you're not yourself."
"Just answer me."
"No, of course not. Why would I hate you?"
"You're lying. I might be tough and cold-hearted, but I can sense when someone is trying to hide their feelings from me. Three months ago, I hurt you deeply. I tormented you. Such actions would normally provoke hatred. If there's no hatred, then maybe there's something else... Maybe you're planning something. I can feel it."
Oska's heart skipped a beat. He hadn't anticipated Stevanie's sharp intuition. Months of meticulous planning for revenge, crafted with precision during his time in America, might be uncovered in an instant. How had she figured it out?
"What are you talking about? I'm not planning anything."
"See? That fake smile of yours again, there's something behind it. And it scares me."
Oska's smile slowly faded. "What you did three months ago—it's something I've struggled to forget. Living with you then was like living in a nightmare. But... I'm not planning revenge."
"And the reason?"
"Because... there's something stronger than revenge," Oska said, his voice softening. "Love is supposed to be more powerful. It can overcome even the deepest hatred."
"So you mean…?" Stevanie's face flushed red, and she buried half of it into the pillow.
"Now you understand," Oska gently stroked her hair. "You should get some rest now. I'm not going anywhere."
In the stillness of the room, it was just the two of them. What had once been a façade of a relationship, a mere act of master and slave, was now evolving into something unexpected. At least he had managed to make Stevanie believe that he had fallen in love with her.
Whether Oska's words were genuine or a cunning deception remained a mystery that only time would unravel.