“When was that?” Judy looked confused, not understanding what Brian meant.

“You think I didn’t notice you trying to hit the intercom?” Brian stepped forward and grabbed her wrist, his eyes filled with possessiveness. “Judy, wouldn’t it be better if you just gave in? I really love you. Don’t worry, if you’re willing, I’ll run this studio with you.” He held up four fingers, swearing, “I promise you, this studio will thrive. We’d be a power couple.”

Judy stared at the pimples on Brian’s face, feeling a wave of disgust. He was completely delusional. She had already been willing to walk away from someone like Joseph, the privileged heir, and he was far better-looking than Brian, who didn’t even come close. So how could she possibly agree to Brian? Besides, she was planning to go abroad. Her work in the country was only to honor old clients; otherwise, she would’ve already shut down local operations entirely.

Seeing her remain silent, Brian grew increasingly upset. He slowly moved closer, trying to force his way. “Judy, just say yes. Do it for both of us, okay?”

Judy saw that the phone cord had been pulled out—there was truly no way out now. She was still some distance from the door. She couldn’t just run for it. Brian had full control. It was as if she’d been locked inside this room. Judy tried to calm herself, but no matter what she did, it didn’t work because Brian was beyond reason now—he wouldn’t listen to anything. Judy knew that if she didn’t keep Brian calm, she probably wouldn’t make it out of here. She’d read enough stories online to understand how these things could end.

Brian suddenly pulled her into a tight embrace, refusing to let her resist any further. “Alright, stop fighting, okay? I told you that I’ll cherish and love you. So why are you making this so hard?” Brian wasn’t attractive, just average height, and with that twisted expression on his face now, he terrified her even more. Judy couldn’t hold back her fear anymore.

She cried out, “Help! Somebody, please…” But the words “save me” were buried in her throat before they could come out. She had hoped the room wasn’t soundproof, that someone outside would hear and come to her aid, but Brian didn’t give her the slightest chance. He leaned in close and whispered coldly into her ear, “Judy, you know something? I never wanted to do this to you. I just wanted to stop you, to talk you out of leaving the country. After all, that place is abroad—it’s so far away, and who’s to say your career there would be any better than here?”

Judy stared at Brian’s dazed face without answering, but he continued talking to himself anyway. He didn’t seem to care, just kept mumbling to himself. Judy took a deep breath. She knew letting this drag on would only make things worse. So, she looked straight at him and said, “So all of this… it’s just because you don’t want me to leave the country, right?”

Brian was thrown off by how firm her tone was. He nodded without thinking, “Y-yeah… yeah, that’s it. As long as you stay, we can work everything out.”