Then, with a sudden snap, his head twisted—spinning a full 180 degrees until his face confronted mine.
He gazed at me with a haunting smile, the corners of his mouth stretched too wide, too deliberate.
His eyeballs glowed red, bulging outward as if straining to escape their sockets, locking me in a stare that froze the blood in my veins.
He didn't even blink.
In the middle of all this, I noticed a black figure at my window.
Not behind it—at it. There was no glass. Just the open frame and the night beyond, and in that night, a shape.
Maybe human. Maybe ghost.
That was my first thought when I saw it standing there. I couldn't tell. The figure had a human shape, but its edges blurred into fog.
A thin layer of mist surrounded him, like dark clouds engulfing the sky above me.
It was too present to be imagination, too still to be alive, too dark to be seen clearly. It left me in eerie silence.
I couldn't tell if it was looking at me. But I felt seen. Not watched—seen.
His hand moved—a sign he was alive.
He extended his hand toward us. Strings unfurled from his wrist—thin, yet capable. They stretched across the room, gliding through the air until they touched Leo.
Within seconds, those strings curled around Leo's abdomen, tightened, and dragged him toward their source.
My eyes and mouth widened with shock and fear. My breath caught in my throat—I couldn't tell if I was watching a machine at work or something alive.
I rushed toward him without thinking, my legs reacting on their own, driven by instinct.
He caught my neck with his right hand as soon as I reached him.
The more I tried to reach Leo, the tighter his grip became—like he wanted to push me away, to keep me from him. But I refused to stop. My chest burned with fear, yet I wasn't ready to quit.
I couldn't hand Leo over to that strange figure. Not now. Not ever. He was just a few inches away.
But my will began to falter the tighter his grip became. Each pull made me weaker, as if fear itself was trying to stop me.
My hands shook, my breath grew short, yet I kept trying to take Leo away from his grasp. My vision blurred from lack of oxygen. It felt as if countless needles pressed into my skin, each sting burning across my face.
In the end, he was the one who held the victory flag. I lost consciousness. I fainted. I lost.
I jolted awake, the image of him strangling my neck still burning behind my eyes. My chest heaved,
sweat soaking the sheets.
And then I saw Leo—lying beside me, silent, as if he had been there all along.
Was it only a dream, or had something followed me back into waking?
My head was heavy, my mind blurred, as if the dream hadn't fully let me go. Yet the sight of Leo sleeping quietly beside me filled my chest with a fragile calm. I was truly relieved.
I sat up and checked my phone on the bedside table.
"Twenty missed calls. From Bella!" I screamed, though only in my heart.
I sprinted toward the bathroom and tried to get ready as quickly as possible. I had promised her I would pick her up in the morning, but I was late because of that obscene dream.
"She's going to tear me apart…" The thought circled in my mind.
Finally, I was ready to go. But as soon as I opened my door—guess what?
My driver was standing there at my doorstep. Why? Why was this happening to me?
"Good morning, sir," he greeted. "Sir, I am truly shocked by this."
"What do you mean?"
"I thought you wouldn't be ready by now, since it's so early," he said.
"Well, so am I," I replied proudly. "Why are you here so early?"
"Sir, an urgent meeting has been announced again," he said.
"By Kiril, and I was specially called. Right?"
"Absolutely right," he replied, and both of us started laughing.
But soon, I realized the urgency of the situation. Bella and Kiril had already set up the noose for me. I stood there on my doorstep, soaked in misery.
Suddenly, an idea popped into my mind.
I gave my car to the driver and told him to pick Bella up from the hospital, while I drove his car all the way to the office.
It was a bit disgraceful, but the only option to protect myself.
Finally, I reached the office, handed the car to the valet, and walked toward the meeting room.
On my way, I recalled that in the frenzy I had forgotten about Leo. Maybe he was still sleeping soundly—or maybe not.
I stopped midway, took out my phone, and dialed my landline number. A few seconds later, Leo picked up.
"Hello, Daddy?" Leo asked.
"Yeah, it's me."
"I knew it," Leo said excitedly.
"How?"
"It's obvious," he replied.
"On the right shelf in the kitchen. Have them and be quiet."
"Don't worry. I know the protocols," Leo replied with sarcasm.
"Fine. Bye."
"Bye," he said, and hung up.
I continued toward the meeting room. When I reached it, I was shocked. The room was empty, unlike last time. It was just me and Kiril.
I faced his back from a distance. After realizing my presence, he turned around.
"Good morning, Mr. Anderson," he greeted, though his tone seemed sarcastic.
"Good morning," I replied. "Why have you called this meeting? For work or for fun?"
"Be careful with your words," he said. "You are not talking to your junior."
"I know that, and I would remember it if you kept the honor of your position."
"Quit your attitude before you meet me, because I am not a fan of it," he replied arrogantly.
"You should quit yours before addressing me."
"Well, I am not obliged to obey you, but you are," he said proudly.
He bent back, sat in his chair, folded his legs, and locked me in a stare that filled me with anger, swallowing all the satisfaction I had felt a while ago.
"That's what you think. And I guess there is no fact that states all your thoughts are universal," I replied.
He smirked.
"And don't ever try to tame me. Neither I nor the other members of the board are your slaves," I said.
Hearing this, he stood up and clapped. Suddenly, the other members started entering the room, greeting and taking their respective seats.
He walked toward me, but it seemed more like he was walking on a ramp.
"They are. And you too will become one of them very soon," he whispered in my ear, then walked away toward his seat.
I also took my seat.
The room fell into silence as the last chair scraped against the floor. A faint hum filled the air, though no one seemed to notice it but me.
Kiril's eyes lingered on me from across the table, his smile too patient, too knowing. I tried to steady my breath, but the weight of his words pressed against my chest: "You too will become one of them very soon."