"Sir, are you sure?"
Beto stood there, utterly confused by William's rejection. Just moments ago, he had clearly shown interest in Miss Thalia Kim, and yet now, he refused when she asked for help.
"Just because she asked me to come… Do I have to?" William replied flatly.
He stepped into his room and shut the door, leaving Beto standing outside.
Beto stared at the closed door for a few moments, still unconvinced. "He definitely showed interest…" he muttered under his breath.
Inside the room, William unbuttoned his suit jacket, took it off, and laid it neatly at the edge of the bed.
'Is she sick?'
His brows furrowed as he uncuffed his sleeves. The memory of earlier at the office surfaced briefly, but enough to stir something unfamiliar.
Concern flickered across his eyes. Then, he suddenly shook his head.
"I can't… no." His eyes closed as he took a slow breath. "I need to stay distant."
A few moments of silence passed and he muttered to himself again, "What if she is really sick? She did look unwell…"
He turned toward the door and when his hand almost reached for the handle, he stopped.
"No…" he whispered. "What if she's trying to hypnotize me again? What if it works this time?"
His gaze shifted slightly, his thoughts beginning to tangle. 'I need someone to marry in five days.' His thoughts paused but a second later, 'This shouldn't complicate things.'
His thoughts tangled, pulling him in opposite directions.
In the end, he exhaled slowly and turned away from the door. Walking back to the bed, he laid down and closed his eyes.
He hadn't slept properly the night before.
The same dream.
No.
The same nightmare had been haunting him ever since he came of age. It never changed and it never faded.
But today, something felt different.
After meeting Thalia, his head felt… lighter.
For the first time in a long while, he didn't even realize when sleep took over.
Until—He was stabbed again in that same dream.
"Gah—!"
He jerked awake, his body shooting upright as he gasped for air.
His chest heaved violently, breaths coming out uneven and sharp.
Sweat clung to his skin, dampening his shirt, strands of hair sticking to his forehead.
For a moment, he couldn't move. The pain… It still felt real.
But something was different this time.
The person who stabbed him…She was crying.
He stared at the wall.
'Who is she?'
How many times had he gone through this nightmare?
He had tried everything to get out of it.
Even seeing a psychiatrist but nothing worked. The dream always came back.
William dragged a hand down his face, his breathing still uneven.
"What changed?" He stared ahead, but his mind was no longer in the room.
Her face was still blurry.
But this time, he could hear her sobbing.
Her hands were gripping the knife, the same knife buried deep in his chest.
Just as his thoughts sank deeper into that dream, his phone suddenly rang.
Arthur's name lit up the screen.
William reached for it and answered weakly, "What is it?"
"What did you do?" Arthur asked, his voice laced with panic. But there was something off, like he was trying to keep his voice down.
"What?" William frowned.
"My sister-in-law… she just collapsed. She's unconscious. But my wife keeps insisting we shouldn't take her to the hospital. She told me to call the President of the Carter Group…"
A short breath, "Which is… you."
William's frown deepened, "Are you talking about Thalia Kim right now?"
"Who else?" Arthur said, exasperated. "I only have one wife and last I checked, she only has one sister."
"She's unconscious? Where?" William jolted upright, already reaching for his wallet and car keys.
"At our house," Arthur replied quickly. "We didn't move her. Tiara didn't let anyone."
Then he took another deep breath, "William…" His tone shifted lower, "our agreement."
William's movements slowed for just a fraction. "I remember," he replied coldly.
"Then please… hurry," Arthur said, his voice low. "I don't know why, but Tiara is panicking… she keeps saying you're the only one who can save her sister."
--
William arrived not long after, his car coming to a stop right in front of the house. He stepped out without hesitation and walked straight toward the entrance, his expression already darkened with impatience.
Before he could knock, the door opened.
Arthur stood there.
"You're—"
But before he could finish, his expression shifted slightly as he caught sight of someone approaching from behind.
Tiara.
In an instant, the casual familiarity on his face disappeared.
"Mr. Carter," Arthur corrected himself smoothly, stepping aside as if nothing had happened. "Please, come in."
William's gaze lingered on him for a brief second, catching that subtle change.
"Come in, Mr. Carter…" Tiara hurried to Arthur's side, her voice trembling with anxiety. "She suddenly collapsed—it was like her blood pressure dropped. She said she felt dizzy, and then—"
She stopped mid-sentence when Arthur pulled her into a warm embrace.
"Relax," he murmured softly. "He's here now."
William frowned slightly. "I still don't understand what you mean by saying I can save her…"
Tiara blinked, clearly anxious as she tried to explain. "Thalia said that the moment you touched her, her dizziness disappeared. She didn't feel like her energy was depleting anymore… she actually felt better."
She hesitated, her expression turning slightly awkward.
"I know it sounds strange, but… it was like you were her energy source."
"Energy source?" William tilted his head, a hint of amusement in his eyes. "So… what you're saying is that I need to stay near her to keep her functioning?" He paused, "Like a power bank?"
Tiara didn't answer immediately. She simply stared at him, as if trying to read through every layer of his expression.
Slowly, she reached up and removed Arthur's hand from her shoulder.
Then she stepped closer. Close enough that only he could hear her.
"I know you're pretending," she whispered, her voice low but steady. "Pretending you don't know what she is, but—"
"Wait…" William frowned, cutting her off. "What she is?"
"I mean…" Tiara gulped, clearly irritated with herself. She leaned closer to his ear, lowering her voice even more. "You know she's a fox…"
"A… what?"
William pulled back slightly, his brows knitting together in genuine confusion.
"Fox??"