Chapter 44: Tonia’s Trauma and a New Beginning

“President, Secretary Tonia has requested additional leave.”

“…Tonia? Did something happen during her trip?”

“I’m not sure, but when I spoke to her on the phone today, she sounded soulless. She was saying strange things too.”

“That’s odd. That’s not like her… Alright, you can go.”

After the employee finished the report and left my office, I couldn’t help but sink into thought.

“Did she run into trouble on her trip? But it’s hard to imagine her getting into trouble.”

I sent Tonia, not just any employee, to that author because I trusted her judgment and strength.

I had a strong hunch the author wasn’t a criminal, but there’s always a “what if.” My predictions are usually spot-on, but I couldn’t ignore the chance of being wrong, so I sent my most reliable person.

Now, though, I’m starting to think that was a mistake. I shouldn’t have sent anyone.

It was to confirm the author’s identity and protect her information, but that judgment was a misstep.

“For now, I’ll approve her leave… and visit her house right after work. I hope it’s not something serious.”

To get to her place as early as possible, I started powering through my remaining tasks.

—

The work, which I thought would take ages, finished faster than expected. As soon as I was done, I headed straight to Tonia’s house.

“Come to think of it, it’s been a while since I visited like this. Back then, I didn’t even need to.”

When I first started the company and was swamped, Tonia and I lived together. She offered to assist me, citing that I’d miss things while running around, and I agreed since it wasn’t a bad deal.

“Those were fun times.”

Our lifestyles didn’t mesh, so we started living separately once the company stabilized, but living together was full of amusing moments.

Like awkwardly running into each other after mistiming a shower, or burning dinner and arguing over takeout only to go hungry that night.

Recalling those fond memories, I arrived at her house. I got out of the car, walked to her door, and cautiously rang the doorbell.

Ding-dong~

A long time passed with no response.

“Strange. The lights are on—why’s there no answer?”

Feeling uneasy, I rang again and waited, but still nothing.

“Is she not home? But given her routine, she should be here at this hour. I’ll try calling.”

Beep—beep—beep—

I called and waited, but only the ringing echoed—no answer.

“Something’s definitely happened. This isn’t like her at all.”

Maybe she let loose on a rare vacation, or something really did happen in Omega. Either way, one was certain.

“This is rude, but… no, it’s your fault for not answering.”

Lifting my hand to the keypad, I entered her birthday.

[Beep—Incorrect. First attempt failed.]

“She changed it from her birthday? Guess she listened to me.”

Feeling oddly reassured, I tried the day we first met. The lock demanded re-entry, rejecting it.

[Beep—Incorrect. Second attempt failed. Five failed attempts will automatically alert the police.]

“Harsh warning. A boss arrested for trying to unlock an employee’s door… people would laugh.”

Muttering to myself, I entered the day we started living separately. Finally, the door unlocked.

“Was moving out that great? Tch… Guess I was the only one who thought those were good memories…”

With a hollow laugh, I stepped inside and immediately felt a strong sense of unease. Lights were on in every room, but the house was eerily silent. For someone as frugal as Tonia, this was unthinkable.

“…Tonia? You in there?”

No reply. No choice but to check every room.

I started with the master bedroom.

Carefully entering, I was greeted by a scattered suitcase and clothes strewn everywhere. The vanity, likely Tonia’s, was littered with cosmetics, and the open wardrobe added to the chaotic vibe.

“Was there a break-in?”

Lifting the blanket to check the bed, I found no sign of her. With no leads, I moved to the next room.

The bathroom. Like the others, the lights were on, and water flowed endlessly from the shower.

“Was she attacked mid-shower? No, there’s no blood or soap.”

Not here either.

As I left, I noticed water droplets forming a trail to the living room, either unwiped or deliberately left.

“They’re barely dry—she must’ve just left. I’ll follow them.”

Following the trail to the living room, I saw an unbelievable sight.

“Tonia!!!”

She was crouched on the sofa, wrapped in a blanket, her face pale, muttering to herself.

“Tonia, are you okay?”

“…Hate the Bible… hate hymns… hate confession… hate it all…”

“What are you saying? Tonia, snap out of it!!”

Shaking her shoulders, she finally seemed to come to, looking at me with a dazed expression.

“Huh? President? Why are you here?”

“You weren’t answering calls, so I let myself in. The house is a mess—what happened?”

At my question, Tonia’s eyes welled up, and she suddenly threw herself into my arms.

“Waaah!!! President!!!!”

“…Don’t cry. Tell me slowly what happened. What did you go through to end up like this?”

“President, I never want to go back to Omega… No, I never want to see that author again. It’s just packaged as a safe place, but it’s a den of a massive crime syndicate!”

“I don’t understand. Omega’s one of the toughest on crime. How could a syndicate exist there?”

No country cracks down on crime like Omega. I heard the new police chief declared war on it. A syndicate there? A penguin would laugh itself silly.

Unless it came from Tonia’s mouth.

“I need details. What happened there?”

“I don’t want to remember… I don’t want to think about those horrible memories…”

“This is severe. Recovery will take time.”

She shook her head frantically, clearly dreading the memories. Unable to just watch, I pulled a sedative from my bag and gave it to her.

“Gulp… What did you give me?”

“A sedative to calm you down. Now, slowly tell me about Omega.”

“Do you have to hear it?”

“Yes, so we can take follow-up measures. I know it’s painful, but just this once.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Tonia slowly recounted what happened in Omega.

“…So, the author of The Villain Wreaks Havoc isn’t a criminal but a victim, barely clinging to life, writing all the crimes she endured and witnessed before dying?”

“That’s the gist. When I asked if it’s ongoing, she winced and said it’s in the past. Probably… those events broke her body and mind.”

A victim, not a criminal, on the brink of death, pouring her experiences into a novel. Pitiable yet remarkable.

“Her occasional hiatuses for health… she was in unbearable pain. I misjudged her.”

This wasn’t something herbal medicine could fix. From Tonia’s account, she’s likely living on borrowed time.

“I need to rethink this. By the way, Tonia, how’d you end up like this?”

“…After meeting the author, I was attacked in my hotel room.”

“A high-security hotel shouldn’t have issues. Did you leave the door open?”

“No. I don’t know how or when they got in. If I had, I could’ve handled it.”

Shaking her head, unwilling to relive it, she continued.

“We should avoid contact with the author as much as possible. Even brief interaction… ugh, President? Can we stop? The sedative barely got me talking, but any more feels dangerous…”

“Alright, that’s enough for today. Confirming the author isn’t a criminal is enough.”

I felt some relief. If she was a real criminal, I’d have cut ties regardless of profits or the company. And if the police investigated, there’d be no issues now.

“Avoid or minimize contact… Is that related to how you ended up like this?”

“…Yes.”

“Noted. Sorry for barging in late. You must be tired—rest well.”

Having checked on Tonia and heard her Omega report, I stood from the sofa to head home when her trembling voice stopped me.

“President…?”

“What?”

“I’m really sorry, but… could you stay the night? I’m scared to be alone…”

“…Alright.”

Feeling sorry for the shaking Tonia, I decided to stay one night. From that day, I began living with her again.

My keen intuition didn’t foresee this cohabitation lasting a lifetime.