The night had grown deep and suffocatingly silent.
Inside the Chairman's cabin, Zara Lopez sat surrounded by towering stacks of files, completely tangled in work.
Suddenly, a sharp knock echoed at the door.
Knock! Knock!
Zara lifted her gaze toward the door and said in a slight confused tone, "Come in."
A hesitant set of footsteps followed, and Kael stepped inside.
Kael was no stranger—he was Zara's personal assistant.
Zara looked up at him and said,
"Oh! Kael, you're still here? Office hours have already ended, haven't they?"
As she spoke, her eyes returned to the file in front of her.
Kael glanced at Zara with visible hesitation and replied, "Yes, boss. I was just about to leave. Then I thought… before going, I should ask you once.
Are you not returning to the mansion tonight either?"
Zara stopped reading. She looked up at Kael and asked, "Did Grandmother call you again today?"
"Yes, ma'am," Kael replied.
"You haven't returned to the mansion for the past three days. She's extremely worried about you.
It hasn't even been a month since the former Chairman passed away, and you've completely buried yourself in office work. She wants to see you, ma'am."
He looked at Zara with hopeful eyes.Zara smiled faintly and said with quiet sadness,
"I know Grandmother wants to see me.
But her family doesn't want to see me.
Grandfather already transferred everything in my name before he left—and in doing so, he turned them against me.
He left both Grandmother and me completely alone.
Now I don't want my presence to become the reason her family distances themselves from her."
Hearing this, Kael found himself unable to say anything further.
Then he remembered something else and spoke carefully,
"Boss… Dr. Jonas came to the office today to see you. You were in a meeting, so I didn't disturb you.
But she mentioned that you missed four of your sessions this past month, and—"
Before Kael could finish, Zara's piercing glare stopped him cold.
Zara said icily, "Call Dr. Jonas tomorrow and tell her that I'm completely fine now.
I no longer need her sessions.
Nothing has happened to me in the past month that requires me to visit her.
I can't afford to waste my time anymore.
You may leave now.
I'll be staying at the office tonight."
"Okay, boss," Kael said, and walked out of the cabin.
Twenty-five minutes after Kael left the office, Zara was still studying the files for upcoming projects when the cabin lights suddenly flickered.
She glanced around the cabin, assuming it was nothing more than a coincidence.
She tried to refocus on the file—but before she could, the lights flickered again.
"What the hell? Such a major fault in the office lighting?
I can't believe the maintenance department is this irresponsible," Zara muttered.
Before she could say anything else, the lights began flickering violently.
Annoyed, Zara picked up her phone—but before she could dial a number, a voice echoed inside her ears.
The phone slipped from her hand and crashed onto the floor.
Her eyes widened in shock.
Cold sweat formed on her forehead.
"They're here…" Zara whispered, her body trembling with fear.
Suddenly, she heard the sound of multiple footsteps approaching outside her cabin.
She ran to the door and locked it, then rushed into the private room attached to the cabin.
Her breathing grew uncontrollable.
The lights flickered wildly—then suddenly, the entire office building plunged into darkness.
Terrified, Zara screamed,
"No—no—please!"
She began to panic inside the room when suddenly she heard the cabin door shatter open.
She collapsed onto the floor in terror, her knees giving out beneath her.
Her head throbbed violently, and blood began to drip from her nose.
Moments later, several dark shadows appeared before her.
Zara stared at them with bloodshot eyes and screamed,
"Go away… I said, go away from here… stay away from me!"
She dragged herself backward in fear, but the more she retreated, the closer the shadows came.
Using the wall for support, Zara forced herself to stand.
Her foot struck an iron rod lying nearby, and she froze.
She picked up the rod.
Fear in her eyes was replaced by pure hatred.
She screamed,
"I told you… didn't I tell you to leave?!"
And with that, she lunged at the shadows like a wounded lioness.
Twenty minutes later,
Kael returned to the office building. He had forgotten his phone inside and had come back to retrieve it.
He noticed that the lights on the entire office floor were off.
"Did Zara ma'am go home?
But her car is still here…"
Just then, he saw Zara's bodyguards standing outside the office entrance, panicking.
Kael stepped out of his car and hurried toward them.
"Why are the office lights off? And where is the boss?"
Kael demanded, glaring at the bodyguards.
The bodyguards exchanged nervous glances.
Then the watchman stepped forward and said,
"Kael sir… there was a short circuit inside the office.
Since the entrance is automatic, it won't open—and Zara ma'am is trapped inside."
"What the fuck—!" Kael shouted in shock.
He glared at the bodyguards angrily.
"Your boss is trapped inside, and you're standing here doing nothing?
Break it!"
One of the bodyguards stepped forward hesitantly.
"Sir, we want to break it too, but Mr. Lopez has given strict orders that we cannot damage office property—even to save Zara ma'am."
Kael completely lost his temper.
"Who pays your salary—Mr. Lopez?
Is Mr. Lopez the owner of this office?"
He grabbed the bodyguard by the collar and pulled him close.
"I don't care what Mr. Lopez does to you for damaging property,
but if anything happens to the boss inside, I won't spare you.
I can even charge you with attempted murder. Remember that.
Now shut up and do your damn job, you goddamn idiot!"
He shoved the bodyguard away and shouted,
"Break the glass door!"
The bodyguards nodded and began smashing the glass entrance.
After breaking in, Kael and the bodyguards rushed toward the top floor with flashlights.
Kael tried to open Zara's cabin door, but it was locked from inside.
He stepped back and kicked the door hard.
It burst open.
The cabin was empty.
Files were scattered across the floor, and Zara's phone lay abandoned.
Suddenly, a crashing sound came from the attached room.
Kael rushed in and saw Zara destroying everything with an iron rod.
She gripped it so tightly that blood was streaming from her hands.
Kael ran toward her.
Sensing someone approaching, Zara swung the rod to attack—but Kael caught it mid-air and stared at her in shock.
"Boss… it's me… Kael."
But Zara was in no condition to listen.
She tried to attack again, but the bodyguards rushed forward and snatched the iron rod from her hands.
Kael grabbed her shoulders and shook her, shouting,
"Ma'am! Please come to your senses!"
Zara looked at Kael one last time—then collapsed unconscious.
Blood began to flow from her nose and ears.
"Call Dr. Jonas to the Lopez mansion—fast," Kael ordered.
He lifted Zara in his arms and rushed out.
One hour later
At the Lopez Mansion
Mrs. Gracia Lopez—Zara's grandmother—stood beside the bed, staring anxiously at Zara's unconscious form.
Dr. Jonas treated Zara silently.
Nearby, Zara's two uncles—Jack Lopez and Cirius Lopez—glared angrily at Kael.
Dr. Jonas finally administered an injection and stood up.
Gracia Lopez stepped forward and asked anxiously,
"What happened to my Zara?"
Dr. Jonas replied with disappointment,
"Mrs. Lopez… Zara has suffered another schizophrenia attack.
And this was not a minor episode.
Her attacks are triggering her brain cells.
If Zara continues to neglect herself and refuses to accept her condition,
she may eventually lose herself completely in the future."
Jack Lopez scoffed coldly and said,
"How much more proof does a mad girl need to accept that she's ins
ane?
I don't know what Dad was thinking—handing over the entire property to an adopted lunatic.
And now the future of the entire Lopez family rests in the hands of that madwoman.
Ridiculous."