Callie’s heartstrings tightened. It was hard for her to imagine that a man who seemed so invincible could have a physical ailment.
The mere thought was unbearable. She took a deep breath, excused herself to the restroom, and returned to her room.
She called Tobias. “Tobias.”
Tobias sounded surprised and a bit hesitant as if he had reservations. “Callie…”
“I need to ask you something. I have a friend whose mother has mental issues. How likely is it that these issues are hereditary?”
“What kind of mental issues?”
“Well… she has violent tendencies, is uncontrollable, extremely extreme, and even hits her own children.”
Tobias was silent for a moment. “I’ll need to consult with my colleagues in the psychiatry department.”
“Okay, let me know what you find out.”
After hanging up, Callie put away her phone and looked out the window, only to find that Nelson was no longer there. She walked out of her room in confusion and opened the door, only to see him standing right in front of her.
Nelson’s clothes were stained with dirt. When he looked down at her, his eyes were cold.
It was a calm, icy coldness that left Callie feeling empty inside.
“… Nelson?” Had he heard her?
He remained silent for a long time. Just as Callie was about to explain, he spoke. “Who told you?”
“… I… I wasn’t talking about…”
“Jaquan?”
Callie desperately wanted to clear things up but couldn’t say a word because she couldn’t lie.
“Listen to me, I meant no harm, I just…”
Nelson lowered the shovel he was holding without saying anything and quietly turned away from her. Callie opened her mouth but couldn’t speak. She had never seen him look so lonely and desolate.
In the days that followed, he didn’t appear again.
The next time Callie heard about him was through rumors of him with a female entrepreneur named Ylosea. They were photographed entering a hotel together.
The design department buzzed with gossip, but Callie felt like she was in an icehouse.
She wanted to explain things to Nelson and moved back to Paucaster Villa Complex but still couldn’t see him. Even when she went to the top floor, Cora was nowhere to be found, and the secretary’s office told her Mr. Oconnor was not in.
On the last day before the holiday, Callie got up for work as usual. She didn’t know which servant had made breakfast that day, but everything on the table was food she disliked.
She felt even less inclined to eat, sipping honey water while editing texts for her subordinates with her other hand.
Nancy knew her tastes well but remained silent, hinting at something deeper.
A sudden wave of sadness hit her as she looked out at the incessant snowfall, thinking about the palace drama Litzy had been watching recently.
Dozens of concubines competed for favor in the harem, scheming and pretending to be pitiful. The sole man among them drifted between them all, his affections equally divided.
Whoever lost favor would see all their privileges plummet.
Was it interesting?
For a moment, she felt a strange empathy for those concubines.
Suddenly, there was a commotion. A servant announced, “Mr. Oconnor.”
Callie didn’t even lift her head, holding her honey water as she walked back. Her wrist was abruptly grabbed by someone with a cold voice. “Have breakfast with me first.”
“I’ve already eaten and need to get to work. I’ll lose my attendance bonus if I’m late.”
The room fell silent. Even Nancy didn’t dare speak. The two of them seemed to be acting out a scene from a television drama.