A week had passed since Owen left the hospital. His body had recovered, now stronger and more robust than ever before. The power teeming within him made him feel invigorated and confident in a way he had never felt.
This morning, the weather was exceptionally clear. The cloudless sky allowed the gentle sunlight to filter past the tall buildings and onto the streets. Owen drove his SUV to Jessica's coffee shop, his heart at ease. As he stepped out of the car, the familiar aroma of coffee beans began to greet him… Jessica's café, a place filled with warm memories and the sharp, witty laughter of the hot older woman he had missed dearly.
Ring~
The clear bell chimed the moment he pushed open the glass door. The rich aroma of freshly ground coffee immediately enveloped him. The rhythmic sounds of the grinder and the hiss of steam from the espresso machine were a familiar comfort. The late morning sun streamed through the large windows, casting a warm glow on the light-wood furniture, making the café feel incredibly warm and inviting.
Behind the counter stood Jessica in her usual apron. But the moment she looked up and saw him, the bright, playful smile that always greeted him seemed a little dimmer.
"Well, well, boss~ Miss me so much you couldn't eat or sleep? You haven't invited me for a run to cure your loneliness lately, you know," Owen greeted her with his usual playful, teasing tone. He expected a sharp, witty comeback that would make them both laugh.
But Jessica just gave a slight nod, her eyes vacant for a moment before they focused on him, devoid of their usual spark. "Hm… you're here, Owen… Good. It's pretty busy today," she said flatly. Her voice was monotone and noticeably slower than usual.
Owen froze for a second. A chilling sense of rejection washed over him. This wasn't the Jessica he knew. The woman he knew was energetic, sharp, and full of life. But the person standing before him… felt like an empty shell of her former self.
Throughout the morning, Owen tried to act normal. He brewed her favorite coffee, but she just accepted it and left it on the counter to grow cold. He told a joke that used to make her double over with laughter, but she only managed a faint smile at the corner of her lips. Jessica was clearly distant, avoiding his gaze almost entirely. Her replies were short and clipped, as if she wanted to cut the conversation short.
Sometimes, when the café was quiet, he would see her standing still, staring blankly into space. Customers had to call her name two or three times before she would snap out of her trance and respond.
'What the hell is wrong with her?' Owen thought, a sense of unease slowly building in his chest. But before he could ask, a smooth, deep voice came from the back of the shop.
"Good morning, Ms. Jessica. I'm here~"
The voice made Owen turn his head instantly. A handsome young man in a staff uniform walked in confidently. His brown hair was neatly and meticulously styled, and his sharp eyes held a warmth that was laced with a cunning confidence. He was Cole, a handsome man around 30 who had recently started working at the shop.
The moment Cole appeared… Jessica transformed into a completely different person.
"Oh! Cole, you're here~" She turned to greet him instantly, the vacant look in her eyes replaced by a bright sparkle. Her smile widened, becoming natural and full of life, a stark contrast to the cold, distant manner she had shown Owen.
"Come, come, let me introduce you," she said, walking around the counter to Cole's side. "This is Owen, the one I told you about… Owen, this is Cole, my new employee. He's a fast learner and incredibly talented. I'm so lucky to have him helping out."
As she spoke, Jessica's hand naturally came to rest on Cole's arm in a familiar gesture. Cole smiled at Owen, a friendly smile… but his eyes held something else. A sense of superiority. It was a silent declaration of ownership.
Owen felt as if he had been struck by a sledgehammer. His gaze hardened in an instant. A fierce wave of possessiveness and jealousy he had been suppressing surged through him, so intense he clenched his fists without realizing it.
'Damn it… What the hell is happening to you, Jessica…' The scene before him made him feel like an outsider in his own territory… a feeling so suffocating he could barely breathe.
Owen tried to shake off the useless thoughts and focus on making coffee, but his eyes kept straying to the painful sight before him… the sight of Jessica laughing and chatting intimately with Cole. It was a sight he had never seen before, and it ignited a fire of jealousy in his heart.
"Ms. Jessica, I think this milk foam needs to be a bit softer," Cole said, taking the opportunity to lean in from behind her. The faint scent of his cologne wafted over to Jessica. His hand covered hers on the milk frother. "…Like this."
"O-oh… okay," Jessica replied, her voice trembling slightly, a visible blush creeping up her face. She let him guide her hand, teaching her latte art techniques so closely that her back was almost pressed against his chest.
The sight was like a sharp thorn piercing Owen's heart. The feeling of possessiveness he had been trying to suppress surged up uncontrollably… He hated that fake smile. He hated the way he looked at Jessica. And most of all… he hated how happy Jessica seemed to be with him.
Until the lunch break finally arrived…
Owen pretended he was going to take out the trash, but his heart was pounding with a dark premonition. And it came true. He heard their voices coming from the back alley. Owen quickly ducked into a corner, peeking through a crack in the door. The sight he beheld made the blood in his veins boil.
Cole was leaning against the wall, completely at ease. Jessica was standing in front of him, her face vacant and empty… her eyes were as lifeless as a glass doll's.
One of Cole's hands was under her white tank top, roughly and lewdly kneading her large left breast. The soft flesh spilled out between his fingers. His thumb ground against her hardened nipple with sadistic glee, while his other hand roamed her slim waist. His face was twisted into a disgusting smirk.
"Mmm~ Your big tits are really something else, Jessica… Fucking handful, aren't they!" Cole said in a vulgar tone, every word reaching Owen's ears with perfect clarity. "Be a good girl… just stand still and let me play. Do you like it, Jessica?"
Jessica didn't respond, but her body gave a small, involuntary shiver at the stimulation…
Rage exploded in Owen's mind. A savage, primal instinct screamed at him to tear that bastard limb from limb for daring to touch his woman. The power in his body began to surge, his muscles tensing until they felt like they would burst…
But just as he was about to lose control…
Ting!~
The translucent blue screen of the Choice System flared to life, blocking his view!
…..
[1. Charge in and punch Cole in the face now! (Your reckless, mindless attack will cause you to fall under Cole's Awakened ability and ultimately be defeated. , Enters the path where Jessica becomes Cole's slave.)]
[2. Shout to interrupt them and pull Jessica away. (Jessica will snap out of it, but Cole will play the victim and skillfully frame you. , Enters the path where Jessica becomes Cole's slave.)]
[3. Suppress your rage! Record a video as evidence and begin secretly investigating Cole's information. (Enters the path to taking down Cole. , Enters the path to saving Jessica.)]
…..
Owen gritted his teeth, his jaw tight. He stared at the three options with bloodshot eyes. It was forcing him to choose between his animalistic instincts and cold, hard reason… and he knew damn well what the right answer was.
Owen clenched his jaw. He had no other choice but to select the third option. He forced down the all-consuming rage, transmuting it into a cold, sharp focus. He slowly, but steadily, raised his phone. His hand trembled with suppressed fury… and he hit record.
The image of the woman he cared for being defiled was captured on the screen… along with a plan for vengeance that was quietly forming in his mind…
Owen lowered his phone. His heart was still pounding with rage, but his mind had become strangely calm. The sire instinct that had been raging moments ago was suppressed, replaced by the cold intellect of a planner.
'Stay calm… Stay calm, Owen…' he told himself repeatedly. 'You're not that weak kid anymore.'
The lessons from his investigation work for Alex had taught him patience, taught him to wait, and taught him to strike when the enemy revealed their weakness. Charging in now would only ruin everything. He glanced at Jessica as she walked back into the café, her eyes still empty… A sharp pain shot through his chest, but it only solidified his resolve.
Owen worked until the end of his shift, acting as normal as he possibly could. He didn't even look Cole in the eye, not wanting to arouse suspicion. When it was time to leave, Owen pretended to head home, but his eyes were locked on Cole's black sedan parked nearby.
When Cole drove off, Owen sprinted back to his own SUV and started the engine. The hunt had begun…
Owen tailed Cole cautiously, using all the skills he had learned working for Alex. He maintained a perfect distance, used other cars for cover, and did nothing to draw attention. Cole showed no signs of being wary at all; it seemed his confidence in his own abilities had made him careless.
Finally, Cole's car pulled into the driveway of a house in a quiet suburban neighborhood. It was an ordinary two-story house, nothing remarkable… On the outside, it looked like a warm family home, but Owen could feel a chilling aura emanating from within.
He drove past and parked in a blind spot with a clear view of the house's ground-floor window. He killed the engine and waited patiently. Nearly an hour passed. Finally, the lights in the living room switched on, revealing a sight that made Owen's eyes widen in shock.
Inside the house, it wasn't just Cole… there were three other women!
All of them were in the same state as Jessica… vacant eyes, devoid of any spark of life. They moved like puppets. One was massaging Cole's shoulders as he sat on the sofa, another was serving him a drink, and the last was kneeling to wipe his shoes… They were nothing less than Cole's doll-like slaves.
And then, Owen saw the "condition" he had been searching for…
One of the women who was massaging him seemed to flinch slightly, a flicker of confusion appearing on her face. Cole noticed it instantly. He smiled calmly and reached into his pocket… pulling out an antique silver 'pocket watch.' He swung it gently in front of the woman's face…
'Look at it, good girl…' Even without hearing the words, Owen could guess what he was saying from his actions.
The woman's eyes fixated on the swinging watch… and in an instant, the confusion vanished, replaced by the same emptiness as before. She went back to massaging him as if nothing had happened.
"Found it… So that's his ability. He must be a mind-control type Awakened, with the condition that the target must look at an 'object' to activate the power… A power like this is, at most, C-rank," Owen analyzed in his head. He quickly raised his camera and took pictures as evidence.
Owen watched until late into the night. He saw Cole treat the women like sexual objects. He slapped their asses, groped their bodies, and dragged them into the bedroom one by one… Emotionless moans could be heard intermittently. They weren't sounds of pleasure, but the sounds of dolls being forced to make noise.
Owen's hot rage had turned into an icy cold fury… This man wasn't just dangerous. He was a piece of trash that needed to be taken out.
Over the next few days, Owen spent every second after work gathering evidence. He learned that Cole's ability was more dangerous than he thought. If a target was repeatedly hypnotized, their mental resistance would weaken until they were permanently controlled, no longer needing the pocket watch. They would become a loyal slave, forever obedient to Cole's every command.
'Jessica has a strong will… but how much longer can she resist?' The thought made Owen's anxiety spike.
After gathering enough information, he wasted no time and sent all the evidence to the Awakened Crime Unit through an anonymous channel. But he knew the official process would take time to verify… time that could mean Jessica's destruction.
So today… he decided to take matters into his own hands.
'Enough waiting… I can't take this anymore!' Owen muttered to himself as he drove towards the café, his fury reaching its absolute peak. He had wanted to smash that handsome face for days, and today… he would finally get his release…
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