Anybody with enough money could enter Helios’s nightclub. The day club, however, was an exclusive playground where only invitees and top-level custors could attend. It was often used by young businessn to talk about serious matters or treat sophisticated business partners with quality wine, whisky, and cigars.
People trying to climb the social ladder would never refuse an offer to co to Helios’s day club. That alone was enough to brag about in their office, or within their circle of acquaintance. An excellent conversation opener while trying to pick soone up.
Naturally, Ethan wouldn’t refuse Sarah’s invitation to go there, even if he had to sacrifice an office worker’s precious weekend.
But it was well worth it the mont he arrived, and the manager himself led him to a private room. Going to the day club itself was enough to brag, but now he could even tell others about Helios’s private room. It was different too, he could tell. Instead of couches and coffee tables, the room was more like a tea saloon; like an upscale cafe with a luxurious setting.
He thought the benefit of working for the family’s daughter in the past had expired, but it seed like so still remained.
Leaving the happy guest behind with so refreshnt, the manager left the private room and went to his office.
"He’s here," Sol opened his office door, where Sarah and Hajin were waiting inside the room. Of course, they already saw it through the monitoring screen on his wall, but he still did it for formality.
Sarah didn’t stand up, however, just watching the room where Ethan was. When Sol arched his brow inquisitively, Hajin told the manager.
"Miss Sarah never cos on ti," the bodyguard shrugged.
"Ri~ght..."
Sol squinted his eyes in confusion before shrugging. Eh--he was there for the ride and the front-seat view of the drama, so...whatever.
Sarah stared at the screen, at the man who was trying to suppress giddiness. He looked around one second, before playing it cool and drinking his coffee. After a while, he took out his phone and quickly snapped pictures of the room as if he were afraid he would get found out.
Those happened in the first five minutes. Afterward, as the clock ticked by, his bright expression turned sour and exasperated the more he glanced at his watch. He looked at his phone several tis, but he could see that there was no reception in the room, strangely.
He must have wondered if he was being scamd. If he didn’t rember that the invitation ca through a call and it was indeed Sarah’s voice, he might have already left the establishnt.
Well...perhaps not leave exactly, but calling a staff at least.
After about twenty minutes, when the man started to get restless and tapped his foot repeatedly against the floor, Sarah finally stood up and walked relaxedly to the private room.
At least, that was how it looked like outside. For Hajin, who walked right behind her, she was a whole ball of tension and ss. Her straight, model student posture as she walked only told him that she was putting on a thick mask.
That being said, she took a deep breath and put on another mask as the staff opened the private room door. "Hello, Ethan!" she greeted cheerfully while sauntering in like she was just getting back from an exhausting shopping spree, dressed from head to toe in the trendiest branded clothes. "It’s been a while, isn’t it?"
Ethan stood up almost imdiately, whatever displeasure about waiting ti on his face before was shoved away by confusion. The image he still had of the Lee Seul-ah he worked for before clashed heavily with the glamazon who strutted to the table and sat down in the chair her striking bodyguard pulled respectfully. A club’s staff mber followed with a trolley, but left imdiately to let the bodyguard do the serving.
"Indeed," Ethan said after a few seconds of pause, returning to his seat slowly as he observed the red hair and the sharp, bold makeup. "I almost...didn’t recognize you."
"Really? I recognize you right away," Sarah smiled cheekily. "You don’t change at all."
The corner of Ethan’s eye twitched. It was subtle, but they could see the annoyance flash in his eyes, as if being called unchanging was offensive. For soone who had been working hard to improve himself for the past five years, perhaps it was.
"People usually gain weight as they get older, but you look just the sa," Sarah continued lightly, erasing that subtle irritation in Ethan’s face.
The man laughed, looking visibly more relaxed then. "I try to take care of myself."
"Oh, wow~" Sarah clasped her hands, looking all bright and cheery that Ethan feel weirded out. "Must have been an easy job you got there--I’m glad!"
"...yes?"
"Well...I thought office workers were so busy they had no ti to exercise or eat well," Sarah blinked at the man’s confusion. "Was I wrong?"
"There are twenty-four-hour gyms open these days, Master," the one who replied was her bodyguard instead, while placing a cup of coffee he freshly brewed himself in front of the girl. "Although exercising after hours might induce exhaustion."
Sarah swatted the air. "Don’t be silly, J--there are gyms at the weekend too!"
"Busy office workers usually use it to sleep, Master."
"Really?"
"Ahem," Ethan cleared his throat; the annoyance was back in his eyes, but it was mixed with confusion and a struggle to get used to this Sarah. "That only occurs to entry-level employees. You’re not that busy once you sit in the leader position--you can delegate tasks to subordinates."
"Ahh!" Sarah clapped her hands once. "There must not be many projects going on, then."
The room went silent, so much that Ethan’s wordless exasperation could be heard through the soft sigh escaping his lips. But Sarah smiled innocently, with a gaze that never ant to hurt anyone as if she had no idea where her words might sting, and distracted herself by the cakes Hajin placed in front of her.
Ethan looked at Sarah, wondering what was happening. He had heard the rumors of her change, but this was...more than a change, he felt. It was as if soone else took over her body, and yet so of her mannerisms and gaze remained. This way of speaking, however...
The girl he knew, the one he assisted for six years, was empathetic and careful with her words. She didn’t want to offend anyone, so even if she didn’t have anything good to say, she would just smile and shift the conversation. If it were the old Seul-ah, she would have congratulated him on his career with sparkling eyes instead of spouting so tone-deaf statent--even if it was intentional.
Especially not toward him.
Ethan glanced at the bodyguard, who looked like soone one might find frolicking around with a bunch of girls in a club every night. Might it be this man’s influence?
That being said, the girl looked more alive than five years ago. Ethan tried to associate what happened with a bad foreign influence and smiled. "I’m glad to see you well, Seul-ah."
The bodyguard narrowed his eyes--but so did Sarah.
"It’s Sarah now, Ethan," the girl corrected him with a nice smile and a sharp gaze. "You didn’t receive the mo?"
Since Sarah kept scolding people for using her real na instead of ’Sarah’, a mo announcent had been sent to all employees. Just usual stuff about the family’s children the workers needed to rember.
Of course, soone careful like Ethan should already know about this. It ant he was either trying to see the extent of their relationship, or didn’t think it applied to him.
"Ahem, pardon ," Ethan cleared his throat again, drinking his coffee to hide his fluster.
"Oh, it’s okay," Sarah waved her hand dismissively. "Or you can call COO Lee--that would be easier. Oh, I can also call you Team Leader Yoo!"
Ethan raised his brows. "COO?"
"Didn’t Uncle Joseph tell you?" Sarah tilted her head. "They suddenly gave a company, though I don’t think I’ll need to do anything. Sounds fun, doesn’t it? Ah...I won’t need to do anything and still receive a salary~"
Sarah giggled like the tone-deaf golden-spoon brat she was trying to portray, all the while observing the gradual shift in Ethan’s face. He was still smiling, but it shifted from a nostalgic one to nothing but business.
"You...change so much, Seul--" he stopped before correcting himself. "Sarah."
And it wasn’t only Sarah who changed, but also their distance. He had thought that climbing the career ladder like this would shrink their gap, but in the end, the mber of the family was in their own realm after all.
"Yeah? I sure hope so," Sarah chuckled. "Being my old self didn’t work out so well after all."
It was thrown out with a lighthearted tone, but as soone who knew what had happened in the past, Ethan could only smile wryly.
Sarah smiled, her black eyes twinkling teasingly. "Are you disappointed?"
"Who am I to be disappointed?" Ethan shrugged.
"Oh, I don’t know," Sarah leaned back, tilting her head. "I thought that’s why you never tried to contact after I returned, Team Leader Yoo."
Ethan shook his hands as he replied quickly. "Oh, no--I heard from Director Seo that you changed your number, so..."
"I didn’t change my e-mail, though?"
"Ah," the business smile wavered. "I changed my e-mail when I joined the new place, so I lost your address."
Sarah leaned into her hand and pursed her lips. "Does that an you can’t keep your old email? Your personal e-mail has a different domain from the company’s, right?"
"Well..."
"Or...is there any reason why you feel the need to delete your old account?"
Ethan couldn’t help but feel the shift in mood within the air. The brightness dimd in Sarah’s face as her voice and gaze gradually turned sharper, almost like...interrogation.
His back, unknowingly straightened by the pressure from Sarah’s voice, was drenched in cold sweat.
"For example...you’re afraid it might be used to trace another e-mail address used for a cri?" Sarah continued in a soft, yet cold voice. "Like...I don’t know--assisting murder?"
Ethan gripped the edge of his armrest with his clammy palm, the corner of his lips twitched as the past he thought he had hidden perfectly surfaced.
"What...are you talking about?" he asked still, even with a voice that started to shake.
"Ethan, no--" Sarah leaned back and intertwined her fingers on her lap, eyes staring straight at the man in front of him. "Team Leader Yoo..."
At that mont, the walls of the private rooms lit up. Hidden screens, controlled by Little Bird, showed every e-mail coming from that one obscured address and how it connected to Ethan’s old e-mail address.
In other words, the result of Little Bird’s investigation.
"I’m giving you a chance right now," Sarah spoke calmly, eyes never leaving the man who was visibly panicking at that mont.
Ethan looked around with widened, shaking eyes. Each flash of the screen drained the blood from his face. "What--what is this?"
"What do you think?"
Sarah narrowed her eyes, brimming with coldness and pain.
"It’s your betrayal."
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