“Oh my god, what is going on?”
Georgina nearly screamed and almost jumped out the window. The man standing before her looked worse than she could have imagined. His body was emaciated, his cheeks sunken, making the lines of his face stand out sharply. His hair was messy, and his beard had grown wildly. Though he wore a suit, the tie was nowhere to be found; his shirt was all wrinkled, his jacket draped over one arm, and his vest completely open.
Despite that appearance, Georgina thought he must have been at the office or out somewhere. After all, he was wearing a suit—albeit a wrecked one. Maybe Winston had just returned home. She had heard he spent all his free time searching for Yujin. But no matter how rational her guesses, she couldn’t believe it. The disheveled man before her was not the Winston she knew.
Does Mrs. Campbell know? How her precious youngest son is living now? At the thought of her grandmother’s cold face, Georgina felt a chill run down her spine. This wasn’t the place she should have come to. Regret washed over her, but it was already too late. She had to find a way out of this situation. As she scrambled to think, Winston’s piercing gaze locked on her, and she jumped in fright.
“Ah, hi, Winston. You look... well.”
Terrified, Georgina blurted out those words, and Winston raised an eyebrow. A cold silence immediately fell. “You stupid fool!” She nearly slapped herself and hurriedly clasped her hands together to prevent another disaster. Laughing awkwardly, Winston thankfully turned his gaze away to look elsewhere, clearly annoyed but—thankfully for Georgina—not at her. She let out a small sigh of relief as Winston finally spoke.
“What do you want?”
He habitually brushed his hand near his chest, then let it fall. Georgina quickly noticed Winston had given up searching for a cigarette. Her father was a smoker too, often pulling cigarettes from his jacket pocket. Puzzled by Winston’s strange behavior, she decided escaping here was her priority.
“Uh, I just came to see how you’re doing. Everyone’s worried.”
This time she spoke with less hesitation and even managed a difficult smile. Winston glanced at her and snorted, as if dismissing her nonsense. Feeling as if her true thoughts had been exposed, Georgina blinked nervously. Clearing her throat, she struggled to continue.
“Any news about Yujin yet?”
“You’re asking the wrong questions.”
Winston abruptly cut her off. Startled again, Georgina’s shoulders twitched, and Winston continued in a cold tone.
“Tell Katherine exactly what you saw. If you’re worried about the company, sell your shares. I don’t care.”
That’s exactly how it looks.
Georgina thought silently, scanning his entire figure again. No one would deal with this man if they didn’t know he was Winston Campbell. How could he have fallen so far? She remembered Winston as always impeccably groomed and flawless, but now he seemed like he’d given up on life.
Because of Yujin...?
There was no other cause. That he cared for Yujin that much was shocking in a different way. They’d had that kind of relationship before, but could someone still love like that? Especially after such a huge betrayal from Winston’s perspective.
“Do you still love Yujin...?”
Impulsively, Georgina asked. She always knew such impulses would cost her, but she couldn’t stop herself. Winston’s eyes locked on her instantly. His purple irises flickered with gold, and the sweet scent of pheromones filled the air. Though they stood some distance apart, she immediately sensed his anger. Georgina barely held back goosebumps all over her body. Maybe she was frozen. Standing still, Winston slowly spoke to his young niece.
“You really think I’d fall for that bastard again?”
You still don’t know.
Georgina’s heart sank. Of course not—no one had told him the truth. No matter how much Yujin tried, he wouldn’t believe it. Who could ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) deny what they saw with their own eyes?
But—
“Haven’t you considered that you might’ve fallen into a trap?”
Ah.
That was a real mistake. Georgina hastily covered her mouth with her hands, but it was too late. Winston stared at her with a deeply furrowed brow.
A heavy silence filled the space between them. Georgina’s heart pounded as if it would burst; she couldn’t gather her thoughts. The quiet dragged on. Less than a minute passed, but it felt like hours.
Suddenly, Winston chuckled.
“Georgina, everything that bastard said to you was a lie.”
He added in his usual cold tone.
“I saw with my own eyes what that bastard did.”
Of course, that was true. Georgina swallowed words that almost slipped out. She had to get out of here before making another mistake. How to end this conversation?
Frantically searching for words, she noticed the book she was holding. Without thinking further, she spoke.
“Why is this book here? Did you read it too?”
Forcing Winston’s attention to the book, she hurried on.
“It’s really interesting. Touching too. I finished it and cried. It’s the best book I’ve read so far. It’s a bestseller right now. Everyone’s raving about it.”
Winston stared at her expressionlessly. Georgina quickly put the book down and forced a nervous smile.
“I didn’t think it’d be your kind of thing, so I was curious... Well, I’ll go now. Take care, okay...?”
The niece, stumbling over her farewell words, was simply watched by Winston as if wasting time even exchanging greetings.
“Bye then! See you again!”
With that, Georgina hurriedly ran down the corridor. As if chased by something, her retreating figure quickly faded. Winston frowned, clicked his tongue, and turned away.
Angela’s room was as serene and cool as ever. After closing the door behind him, Winston walked slowly toward the sofa. He sank into the chair, rubbing his tired eyes and sighed deeply. His brain felt like it was melting from exhaustion, yet he couldn’t sleep. Even the naps he managed lately were almost nonexistent. They were less like sleep and more like fainting spells, lasting less than ten minutes.
The insomnia hadn’t started recently. To be exact, it began the day Yujin betrayed him, clinging to him like a part of himself and tormenting him incessantly. It was as if he had never fallen into a deep sleep in his life.
Of course, that wasn’t true. He had been active, spending his days studying and enjoying sports, and sleeping soundly at night without dreams was his routine. Yujin had changed his entire life. This miserable insomnia, the inability to trust others, the cynical personality—all started after that day.
How could things ever be the same? When the one you trusted and loved the most betrayed you.
Even now, closing his eyes brought back the tormenting memory. What was even more unforgivable was that Yujin had never properly apologized to him. Winston was the one who ended up begging and pleading—incredibly absurd.
And on top of that, running away and deceiving him.
Grinding his teeth, he suddenly recalled what his niece had said, then chuckled quietly.
Love her? Me? Yujin?
That bastard who left me and ran away again?
No way. Ridiculous nonsense. Georgina was young and innocent enough to babble about love and such. She herself had been deluded briefly; how much more so a teenage girl.
But it was over now. He would no longer tolerate it. After a moment with his eyes closed, he took out his phone. Enough was enough. It was time to use his final weapon.
“Yes, Mr. Campbell.”
Hearing the secretary’s voice from the other end, Winston spoke.
“Handle it as instructed, immediately.”
“Understood.”
After hearing the quick reply, Winston hung up. He glared into empty space with bloodshot eyes, thinking the tedious hide-and-seek was about to end soon.
