The Vanished Fiancé Has Returned - Chapter 8

The day of Dominic Moore’s inauguration as executive director came quickly. The effort she’d poured in without a proper day off finally paid off, and the ceremony, which hosted over a hundred guests, ended in great success. Dominic, who had grilled her relentlessly over the speech draft, returned to his usual self as if nothing had happened.

“Good work.”

“Not at all. I’m just glad it went smoothly.”

Gabrielle smiled brightly and greeted him with courtesy.

“I’ll give you a ride.”

“Ah… no, thank you.”

There was an afterparty with the staff following the ceremony. Surprisingly, even she—a contract worker—had been invited, and she fully intended to attend. From the executive’s point of view, hearing that employees had gone drinking and left him out might be unpleasant, so she came up with an excuse.

“I have plans.”

“Plans?”

“Yes. So I don’t think I can. But thank you for the offer.”

Gabrielle bowed quickly and turned to leave just as fast. His eyes quietly followed her retreating figure.

***

By the time Gabrielle arrived at the afterparty venue, everyone was already a bit tipsy. A familiar colleague waved when she spotted Gabrielle.

“Over here! Why are you so late?”

“I had to finish up some things.”

Gabrielle smiled and sat down, and her colleague immediately ordered her a drink.

“You really worked hard. Everyone knows how diligent you are, Gabrielle.”

“Oh, it’s nothing. I was just doing what I’m supposed to.”

Gabrielle glanced at the clock on the wall, uneasy about the glass filled almost to the brim. Thankfully, tomorrow was a day off, so even if she drank a bit, it wouldn’t be a problem.

What concerned her was the time. She didn’t want a repeat of the other night when someone had followed her. She planned to drink moderately and head back at a reasonable hour.

“Come on, drink up. Bottoms up. First glass has to go down in one shot, you know that.”

Her colleague cheerfully pushed the drink. Gabrielle, facing the sizable glass, tried to politely refuse.

“I’m not good at drinking it all at once… I’ll sip it slowly.”

“Oh, come on. You’re backing out again.”

Her colleague lowered her voice suddenly.

“You know, always avoiding group gatherings doesn’t look great. Isolation isn’t good for anyone.”

After falling out with Chief Colton, Gabrielle had a sense that others didn’t view her favorably. It was likely something had been said behind her back.

The colleague pressed her again as Gabrielle hesitated.

“Come on. No backing out now.”

Several sharp stares were fixed on her. If it came to it, she could crash at a nearby cheap inn. With that thought, Gabrielle squeezed her eyes shut and started gulping the drink.

“Wow, you’re good at that.”

“If you drink like that, why’d you pretend you couldn’t?”

The alcohol wasn’t too strong, but it hit her fast. Everything passed in a blur afterward. She kept drinking without much thought, and maybe because of that, she began to feel lighter. A warm euphoria wrapped around her.

By the time the party wound down, she was stumbling.

“Anyone heading the same way as Gabrielle?”

“No, it’s fine… I’ll stay somewhere nearby.”

Gabrielle waved her hand, quietly refusing. She hated burdening anyone.

“Then…”

“I’ll walk you to the inn.”

Someone grabbed her shoulder. It was a male colleague, someone she only vaguely recognized. The unexpected touch made her uncomfortable, but she wasn’t in a state to firmly refuse. While she hesitated, the man gathered her things and helped her out of the bar.

“Thank you for your help, John.”

She was drunk, but not so far gone that she couldn’t think. As soon as they paid at the front desk, Gabrielle reached out for her bag. She intended to take it and go up by herself, but he suddenly raised it out of reach.

“John?”

“I’ll walk you up.”

“No, really. That’s not necessary.”

“This place clearly doesn’t have an elevator.”

“Ah…”

She had become more cautious since nearly falling down the stairs while moving. He was a male colleague she saw every day, and the inn was just five minutes from the bar. She had also heard during the party that he had a fiancée. Surely he wouldn’t do anything inappropriate.

“Then… I’ll be in your care.”

Instead of replying, John pulled her in by the waist.

“This is a bit…”

“Just in case you stumble. Is it uncomfortable?”

“No…”

Gabrielle shook her head and let him help her up the stairs. When they finally reached her room, she swiftly snatched her bag back.

“Thank you so much. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

There was no response. His eyes stared directly at her, making her uncomfortable. Gabrielle turned the doorknob.

The moment she stepped inside, a voice came from behind.

“You’re just going to send me away like this?”

John followed her in and grabbed her wrist. Caught off guard, Gabrielle trembled.

“What… what are you doing?”

“You were tempting me too.”

“Get out!”

The alcohol-induced haze vanished in an instant. Her vision went black. Gabrielle barely managed to shake off his hand. John, as if it were nothing, grabbed both her wrists and pinned her down, his hot breath hitting the back of her neck.

“You gave silent permission. Don’t resist.”

“No!”

She wanted to get away, but her body wouldn’t move. It felt like drowning in a pitch-black swamp.

Just then, someone kicked the door open.

John snapped around irritably.

“What the… ugh!”

A punch landed squarely on his jaw.

“Kyah!”

Gabrielle screamed and quickly moved away. The one grabbing John by the collar and punching him repeatedly was none other than Julian. His large fist struck John’s face over and over until John, who had tried to fight back, ended up begging for mercy.

“Stop… please… aagh!”

Blood poured from his nose, his face a complete mess. Gabrielle, unable to bear it any longer, rushed to stop Julian.

“Stop! That’s enough! He’s going to die!”

Julian shook off her arm like flicking away an annoying bug. Undeterred, she grabbed his arm again.

“Please! You don’t need to become a murderer over someone like him!”

Just then, the sound of a car engine came from outside. Someone must have called the police during the commotion. Gabrielle looked out the window and cried out urgently.

“It’s the police.”

Julian, still glaring at John with icy eyes, finally threw him to the floor. Then he turned his head and warned her.

“I was never here.”

“What…?”

“I said I wasn’t here. Got it?”

His black eyes gleamed threateningly in the dark. Gabrielle instinctively took a step back. It felt like facing a beast in a pitch-black cave. She nodded, her skin crawling.

“…Okay.”

At her answer, Julian opened the door and disappeared. Gabrielle collapsed on the spot in a daze. Moments later, the police burst in and found her.

***

Once the incident became known, John was suspended, and Gabrielle was given several days of paid leave.

Given the seriousness of the situation, he should have received a much harsher punishment. But Gabrielle had stepped in to cover it up. With her contract renewal approaching, she didn’t want to cause a bigger scene.

She also couldn’t stop thinking about what Julian had said. Unlike what she had assumed over tea at her place, perhaps he was an illegal resident or involved in something shady.

Still, contrary to how she felt, rumors spread quickly. Even people who normally didn’t talk to her started asking questions.

“Someone helped you that night, right?”

“Oh, well… I don’t really know. Everything was such a blur.”

Thankfully, since John had also been drunk, he only remembered getting hit—he didn’t remember Julian’s face. Gabrielle laughed it off.

“Anyway, lunch break’s over. I’ll be going now.”

Several eyes followed her with disappointment. Ignoring the clinging curiosity, Gabrielle quickly returned to work.

If there was any consolation, it was that Chief Colton, who would normally be the first to dig into gossip, had yet to show up. Other than him, there weren’t many people who came in and out of the executive office, so that was a relief.

Just as Gabrielle calmed herself and began typing, the door burst open.

“You’re back.”

The one who entered was Dominic Moore, whose schedule had been packed with external meetings all day. Gabrielle’s eyes drifted to his hand. It was wrapped in a bandage.

“Did you hurt your hand?”

“Yes. Something like that.”

Dominic replied halfheartedly and took off his jacket. Gabrielle approached and took it from him.

“Are you alright? Shouldn’t you take medical leave?”

“I always think this.”

As he passed by her, Dominic turned his head. His gaze, like he was staring at an object, held no emotion. The chilling look gave Gabrielle an eerie sense of déjà vu. As she instinctively flinched, his biting sarcasm struck like a blade.

“You really like to meddle.”

“Excuse me?”

“Well, I guess that’s why you let a guy like that off easy.”

Not content with stabbing her, he twisted the knife. Gabrielle’s intention to stay silent vanished in an instant.

“You’re one to talk. What, do you have royal blood or something?”

“What?”

It was the first time he had faced open defiance. His neat brow furrowed. Her eyes stung, and her lips trembled.

“Have you ever once considered how I feel?”

So many things she had wanted to say surged to the tip of her tongue, but all she managed to get out was that one question.

It was about performance reviews. About contract renewal.

There were things people in power, predators, would never understand. The kind of space they carelessly trampled on and dismissed.

And she was furious about it.