Derek's POV
"I don't think it's any business competitor. After all, all the bidding projects this year are quite normal. Then... If it isn't for commercial interests, why are these cameras here?" Rolf pondered.
"Find out every single person who has been in my office this past year," I said.
"I'm on it. We can surely trace the person down."
"Too late," I smiled coldly. "The cameras are here. Don't you think that person has already seen us? But..."
I took out my lighter, and with a sound, a flame ignited.
"Someone's still here. Right?"
The sky gradually darkened, and everyone in the office had already left.
As I stood outside the office, I saw Tabitha. She was alone, working overtime.
She stretched lazily on her seat, rubbed her stiff neck, and then turned off the lights and left.
I restrained my aura and had Leo conceal his presence. Then I followed her.
She walked quickly towards the elevator.
I immediately followed up.
She seemed to have noticed something and turned around to look at me alertly.
Looking at her terrified expression, I asked, "Not gonna burn the midnight oil?"
"What a coincidence," she said awkwardly.
I said calmly, "Nah. I'm waiting for you."
"Waiting for me?" She swallowed.
Without saying anything, I walked ahead.
Tabitha followed behind me, and the elevator ascended straight to the top floor.
"What are we doing here?"
I sized her up. Sure enough, when she didn't want something from me, she didn't even wanna look at me. She seemed so distant.
On no ground would she wanna work for me.
"Tell me. Why did you choose to come to the Greenwood Group?" I asked casually, leaning against the wall while holding a cigarette between the fingers of my right hand.
"Didn't I tell you already? I'm tired of my current life. I wanna realize my value and move on to a new phase."
As I walked towards her step by step, she instinctively retreated.
She kept retreating until her back pressed against the wall. I approached her and lifted her chin, holding a cigarette between my index and middle fingers.
The smoke and the flame enveloped her cheeks.
"Tabitha, I'll ask you one last time. What's your business here?"
She licked her lips. "To kill time."
I maintained my grip on her chin.
"You, of all people, know I detest betrayal and lies."
Tabitha swallowed again. Just before the cigarette singed her cheek, she shouted with eyes clenched shut, "I didn't lie to you!"
I let go of her.
She opened her eyes, and I saw tears in them. She pushed me away forcefully. "Have you lost your mind?"
I threw away the cigarette.
She walked out of the door, and I didn't stop her. I just said, "Tabitha, you better not lie to me."
I stared at her back without blinking, thinking she'd come back. Yet she didn't even turn around.
A gust of wind blew by, carrying away the last spark of the cigarette butt. Tabitha's figure was already nowhere to be seen on the balcony.
I looked up at the scattered stars above me. The sky was covered with layers of clouds, and only one or two stars could be seen.
What did Tabitha want? Why had she been hiding it from me?
The words she had said that day came back to me. If John didn't kill Elena, who did?
"Alpha Derek, Tabitha has already left for a while." Alvin stood in the dark as if he were my shadow.
I sighed, "Alvin, I wanna look into Elena's death again."
"For Tabitha?" Alvin asked.
Looking into it again would be the same as tearing open my still-unhealed wound. Perhaps it'd cause me much greater pain.
"It happened all of a sudden. The proof seemed solid, but I made the decision out of great fury. I wasn't thinking. In those two years after that, I've been blaming her for Elena's death. If..."
My arms trembled for a second. "If it really wasn't John... How could I ever face her again?"
Many theories would fall apart easily given serious thoughts, as a lot of details didn't add up. For me, it was always a sore spot, so no one would bring it up in front of me.
"Alpha Derek, we've got solid proof. Don't think too much."
I looked at Alvin. "What do you think of John?"
"Setting aside this matter, he used to be gentle, amiable, and generous. He was a good father and a person with a great zest for life. If it weren't for those things, I would have thought he was a nice person."
"Yes. That matter has changed everything."
"Alpha Derek, are you saying..."
"How long did it take us from discovering the body to finding out the truth?"
"About a week."
I lit another cigarette. "Think about it. Don't you think it went a bit too smoothly? It's like someone deliberately threw us a thread, and we found all the answers by following the thread."
Alvin shook his head. "But those victims were real. Alpha Derek, I understand that you feel sorry for Tabitha, but you can't erase the truth."
I looked up at him. "So, what do you suggest?"
"I don't think you should reopen the investigation. For the sake of argument, let's say it wasn't John. It was someone else. Then how long did this person need to get everything ready? Was that person a man or a woman? What did that person want? If the person wanted to separate you from Tabitha, I'd say mission accomplished. But your life these days hasn't changed, right? And no one new has shown up."
I rubbed the bridge of my nose and exhaled a puff of smoke in frustration.
Alvin patted my shoulder. "You need to get some proper sleep. You've been way too tired these years."
"Fine. Let's call it a day. Go back." I put out the cigarette and left the rooftop.
Alvin was right. The proof was overwhelming at every step. What could go wrong? No need to waste time on this.
Tabitha wanted to look into it? Fine. Suit herself.