Chapter 36 - Trauma

That made sense. Taken aback, I blinked my eyes. “I thought they exuded their pheromones just to boast that they were Extreme Alphas…”

“Like marking territories? That just makes them sound like wild animals.”

Whitaker burst out in laughter, but he and I both knew that Extreme Alphas were much like wild animals in many ways—ones at the top of the food chain at that. Whitaker cleared his throat and continued.

“In any case, I will look into this issue. Even without the DNA analysis, there must be some collectors who will be willing to buy Mr. Pittman’s empty s*men. We must stop such a trade in advance.” Whitaker suddenly let out a chuckle and added, “The price will drop quite a lot when people realize that it’s just empty s*men. Annabel will be quite disappointed.”

So was I. If I had known, I wouldn’t have rushed all the way here while shouldering the risk. My discouragement must have shown on my face; Whitaker patted my shoulders as if to comfort me.

“Everyone knows how diligent you are, Yeonwoo. We all owe you for that.”

“Thank you.” As I feebly murmured some words of gratitude, Whitaker smiled and looked around.

“You should go back now, Yeonwoo. After all, it could be dangerous here.”

“Yes, I should.”

I would only be a nuisance if I stayed for longer. These people were here to protect Keith and had nothing to do with my safety. I had to protect my own body.

I most certainly did not want to be involved in another incident like last time.

“I’ll get going, then. Please do look into this issue and see it through.”

“Goodbye, and stay safe.”

Leaving behind his concerned remark, I quickly took my leave. Now that I was no longer panicking, the sweet scent of the pheromones that I hadn’t noticed until now brushed the tip of my nose. The candies inside my mouth were already half their original sizes.

I suddenly felt a surge of urgency. I shoved two more candies into my mouth and walked—practically ran—across the front lawn. I had parked my car on the street outside the main gate. In any case, I would be able to be more at ease once I got there.

‘I— I have to get there quickly.’

‘Quickly.’

Before I knew it, I was sprinting. I wanted to run away from the pheromones that were chasing me. It felt as if they would pounce and devour me in one bite if I were to hesitate even for a moment.

This realization of fear drove me to the extreme. I gasped for air as I sprinted like a madman. I was just about to run through the gate, but then—

“…?”

Something abruptly popped into my sight. I reflexively covered my face from the bright headlights. Someone pulled me by my arm. I gulped down my breath as I let myself be pulled. The sports car practically grazed right past me.

“Are you all right?” When the voice asked, I belatedly realized that the security staff who was in charge of guarding the entrance had saved me.

“Oh, um, yes.” I managed to mutter a reply.

He knitted his brows together as he shifted his gaze onto me. “Be careful. Honestly, why does everyone who comes here drive so violently?”

He had grumbled, seemingly sick of it. However, his words didn’t reach my ears properly. I thanked him and headed toward where I had parked.

And that’s all I remembered.

When I came to my senses, I was standing before my front door, trying to open it. The key continued to clack against the handle and scrape its surface, but it didn’t seem to want to find its place in the keyhole. I struggled for a while before gripping onto my trembling hand with my other hand and finally managing to fit the key in. “Hahh, hahh, hahh, hahh…”

As soon as the door opened, I dashed in. I trembled like a leaf as I bolted all three locks and even the latch on the inside. I placed a chair in front of the door, but it wasn’t enough to provide me any relief. I rushed into my bedroom without even taking off my clothes and locked the windows and the door. Finally, I jumped onto my bed and pulled the blanket all the way up to the top of my head. The shivering still refused to stop. The only image in my head was of the man who was sitting in front of the driving wheel of the sports car that had passed me.

The man who tried to rape me.

I could almost feel his meat that I had sunk my teeth into that day. Immediately, I gagged, but all that came out were bitter droplets of bile. “Hahh, hahh, hahh, hahh…”

‘I thought I overcame it,’ I thought as I lay terrified.

It was a false illusion. I had just buried the memories and ignored them. I had never overcome it, nor had I even attempted to. All I did was turn a blind eye.

It had now become a giant monster and engulfed me in one bite.

* * *

♬♬♩♩♪♪♬♬…….

My conscience awoke to the distant sound of my ringtone. It read “Secretary’s Office” above the number that was printed on my phone screen.

“What happened, Yeonwoo? Are you on your way? You didn’t get into an accident or anything, right?”

For a moment, I didn’t recognize the panicked voice. I blinked my crusty eyes with some difficulty and hesitated for a little bit before I replied, “… Emma?”

“Yes, Yeonwoo. Where are you right now?”

Her frantic voice followed right away. I blinked languidly and replied with a sigh. “…I’m on my way. What’s wrong?”

A moment of silence took place after my question, then Emma asked rather hesitantly, “You’re always early, but you’re late today… so I was wondering if you got into an accident or something.”

The digital clock in my car was notifying me that it was past the time I was supposed to be in the office. I clenched onto the driving wheel with both my hands and took a deep breath.

“It seems like I will be a little late today. I’ll explain to Mr. Pittman myself, so please begin work as scheduled. Report to Mr. Pittman first about his daily schedule and go about your day as usual. I will be there soon.”