Unfinished Business

William banged on a door in front of him very loudly, making a middle-aged woman rush over and welcome him in.

"Oh, it was you. What brought you here finally? Did you find out who that girl was? Did you notice anything?" asked the woman, enigmatically.

William, who has now become a real William, was a little angry because he felt that he was being played by this woman.

"Don't make fun of me, Ange! Tell me the truth, what did you see!?" he hissed, impatiently. There was no trace of fear on the woman's face, William was like her own son because since childhood she even took care of the man.

Ange turned around. "Would you like to sit down first?"

"I don't have time and have to bring the girl back soon. I just need your answer. Please tell me, now!"

The woman smiled gently. "What do you want to know, hm? You already know it, Will. Ask your instincts how he feels. You should know."

William was silent, realizing the strange thing he felt was also about Marion. "No way. He's a human, Ange!"

The woman patted William's sturdy arm.

"No one can control the Goddess' will. She wants you to be with the girl. Do it now, or you might find it harder to have her."

William did not immediately move but was lost in his thoughts.

"Well ... even though marking the girl doesn't mean everything will always be fine, but at least you have her, and if anyone wants to bother her, you have the right to finish them off," added the woman. "And one more thing, no one ever knows if in the future she might give you descendant if you take good care of her. Follow your instincts and intuition, Will, then you'll know what's right."

William was wide-eyed when he heard Ange's explanation that sounded ambiguous and did not direct the important point he wanted to convey. So, does this mean William has to start protecting the girl?

He felt no other vibration than the desire to unite himself with the girl. How could he possibly be natural, or even protect a woman who didn't even have the slightest place in his heart?

Still in his indecision, there was a commotion from a distance. To be precise, where he had left Marion.

From where he was, he could see the smoke rising high, which caused him to start panicking uncontrollably, leaving Ange without permission.

William ran as fast as he could, in the form of a large Alaskan Malamut, breaking through the fire that was starting to spread.

He felt pain all over his body as if to signal to him that Marion was not okay. It's true, Marion was indeed in danger right now. Her still weak body with her hands and feet bound, was in a burning dome and it was impossible for her to run.

"STUPID!" William cursed to himself. He quickened his footsteps and pushed his way through the crowd trying to put out the fire. However, it hasn't shown any results yet.

"GET OUT, EVERYONE!" shrieked the creature, then rushed into the shroud that was specially made for him by the herd. There, Marion was seen coughing, but in a weak condition. Exactly as expected.

The creature lifted Marion's limp body and carried her running away after ordering the entire herd to extinguish the growing fire.

Marion blinked, trying to get all of the consciousness that had almost left her body and had wandered off to nowhere. Her whole body felt sore and hot, and so is her chest. Her lungs felt like they were on fire.

"Cough cough!" The girl coughed as if awakening from the paralysis she had just experienced. Looking around the room, Marion realized she wasn't in the middle of the forest as she had previously imagined—because the last thing she remembered was William stopping the car on the side of the road that was flanked by the wilderness.

It's only natural if the girl's imagination wanders up there. She is now also not in the office, but in a room with a strong modern setting, as if to describe the owner of this room who also has a strong and influential character.

"You're awake." A deep baritone voice soothed her. Causing the girl to look around looking for the figure. Her breath hitched again.

What had she just experienced, was it a dream? Or is it real? Marion couldn't even figure it all out. Her brain suddenly felt paralyzed and unable to process every event. Just like the party night back then.

A figure with a stout posture walked over. In the dim light, Marion could see who was standing not far from her.

"M-Mr. Reynz? Where am I? What has happened?" the girl asked. There was still a shadow of horror that engulfed her heart, as she recalled the last thing that was able to catch her memory—William then closed her eyes, taking her to a place she did not know.

"You passed out."

"Why?"

William took a deep breath. "You were acting weird all of a sudden, trying to get out of the car and running into the woods. There you fell and hit a rock."

"It is such a lie! That's not what I remember. That's not how I feel."

"Then? Tell me, how interesting your version is." William's words seemed to underestimate what was felt by Marion. The girl realized, it was she who was telling the truth, while William ... ah! There's no way that dignified man would tell such a dirty lie, right?

What had he done to her to make her like this?

"The smell of the pine forest, the dogs, and the fire. That's all I can remember."

"Then, the conclusion?"

Marion snorted in annoyance. Felt that her boss had abused what she just said.

"The conclusion is ... y-you could have tricked me. It's possible that what I experienced wasn't a dream."

Hearing Marion's answer, the man only smiled faintly. "Do you have proof?"

Marion looked at William sharply. If she hadn't thought about her fate at the company, she might have cursed him. Unfortunately, Marion still needed this job. Don't ask the reason, to survive, of course.

She then nodded weakly.

"Never mind. You were wasting my time in the first place. Now get some rest. I have to go now because I have a lot of things to do. Anything you need, press the bell, and the maid will come and help you." The man rose from his chair, then turned around to leave Marion.

However, the girl inched to her feet and prevented the man's steps.

"Wait, Mr. Reynz!"

The man turned around, waiting for Marion to say what she had been meaning to say, which had probably been troubling her.

"Say it."

"I-I'm ... I'm hungry, sir. We haven't eaten since earlier, have we? Don't you want to take me to eat? Or at least, just let me go home."

William seemed speechless to hear Marion's words, confirming what the girl said that they had not eaten anything since earlier. However, William did not eat what Marion ate.

Not really, he still eats steak now and then. It's just that he's not in a good mood right now, so he doesn't want to eat anything.

His meal plan had failed long ago for reasons he still couldn't understand, and if he had to be faced with a problem like the one he was facing now, he didn't know what to do.

Should he take Marion home?

No. What if this was the reason the girl could run away from him?

"Sir. May I go home?" Marion repeated. Hoping the boss will let her take a taxi or whatever if William doesn't want to take her.

William looked into the girl's eyes, deep and intense. He didn't care anymore what kind of urge was now forcing him to close the distance between himself and Marion, he did it right then and there. Until now he and Marion were only inches apart.

"You're not going anywhere. Because we still have unfinished business, Marion."

That sentence immediately made Marion's hair growl.

What else is this?