“Goodnight, Georgina. See you in the morning.”
As the child lying in bed bid her goodnight, Georgina returned the smile brightly and replied, “Alright.” Winston kissed the child’s forehead, and once he saw Angela clutching her doll and closing her eyes, he switched off the bedside lamp. Even after standing up, Winston lingered, reluctant to turn away, gazing down at the child’s face for a while longer before finally stepping away. Georgina had been watching every second of it, and only after he moved did she follow him out of Angela’s room. Winston waited by the door, holding the knob, and only after Georgina stepped out did he close it himself—as if to confirm she had actually left the room.
What, does he think I’d harm Angie or something?
Though Georgina felt hurt, she didn’t have the courage to complain.
“Well then, I’ll go get some rest…”
“Wait.”
She’d been trying to make a quick exit with a vague farewell, but Winston called her back. At the low, firm voice, Georgina, who had already half-turned away, flinched and froze in place. Slowly turning around, she found that the gentle expression he had worn for Angela had vanished without a trace—Winston was now looking at her with a cold, steely gaze.
“We need to talk. Follow me.”
No polite words like ‘Is it okay this late?’ or ‘Can I borrow a moment of your time?’—just a command. Georgina stared at him in disbelief, but Winston, completely unfazed, brushed past her and strode off without hesitation. A flash of rebellion surged within her, but she knew exactly how that would end. With a deeply twisted expression, Georgina followed behind him.
The sound of their footsteps echoing through the quiet mansion was eerie. Georgina couldn’t help but feel the house seemed unusually vast tonight. Should I just say I’m too tired and go to sleep? The thought tempted her for a moment, but she gave up on it just as quickly. He wasn’t the kind of man who’d take that as an excuse. Better to just get it over with as quickly as possible. Without even glancing back to see if she was still following, Winston marched ahead with unwavering steps. They walked down the wide, long hallway, descended to the first floor, and walked even further before he finally stopped in front of a door.
The study.
He opened the door himself, and for the first time, turned to look at her—as if silently telling her to come in. Georgina swallowed dryly and stepped into the room behind him. The faint scent of aged paper from the stacked books greeted her. But only for a moment. Soon, a sweet, familiar scent began to mix in.
Huh.
Georgina tilted her head slightly. Now that she thought about it, something was off. From the moment she’d greeted him at the front door to just a moment ago, Winston’s usual subtle pheromone scent had been completely absent. This was the first time tonight that she’d sensed it—only now, as if he had decided it was finally okay to release it. Maybe it was just her imagination, but he seemed noticeably more at ease. If he’d been consciously suppressing his pheromones until now, it all made sense.
He was deliberately suppressing them? But why?
“Georgina.”
Caught up in the confusion, she just blinked blankly until Winston spoke. Snapping back to awareness, she focused her gaze on him, and he continued in a slow, deliberate tone.
“Thanks for playing with my daughter. Angie’s really taken a liking to you.”
“Uh, well… I like Angie too, so I just enjoy playing with her.”
She let out an awkward little laugh, ha ha, but Winston didn’t so much as twitch. His expression stayed blank, eyes fixed on her with that same detached gaze. Embarrassed by his lack of reaction, Georgina cleared her throat with a small ahem. The silence that followed was stifling. Her eyes darted around for no reason, and finally, she gathered the nerve to speak.
“So… what did you want to talk about?”
Is this about Angela?
She tried guessing, but she was completely off. Winston, who had been quietly watching her, finally opened his mouth.
“Catherine said your last test scores weren’t great. She’s worried.”
“Huhh?”
The words caught her so off-guard she let out a stunned noise. Winston continued, watching his niece’s bizarrely contorted face with a slow, calm voice.
“She thinks you’ve been distracted lately. That maybe you’ve fallen in with the wrong crowd.”
“You called me here… to lecture me about that?”
Her whole body slumped with disappointment. She’d braced herself, imagining all sorts of worst-case scenarios—only to find he’d summoned her for some preachy adult nonsense. Even as Georgina visibly recoiled, Winston responded with the same indifferent tone.
“It’s not unusual. Falling in with bad company can happen to anyone, no matter their age.”
“Don’t worry. That’s not happening to me.”
Why do adults always assume it’s the friend’s fault when something goes wrong with their kid?
What if it’s actually their precious child who’s dragging others down the wrong path?
That rebellious thought flashed through her mind—but just then, Winston’s lips curved into a crooked smirk. The sight sent an involuntary chill racing down her spine, and she instinctively hunched her shoulders. Slowly, he moved his lips.
“Buying drugs is pretty bad company, wouldn’t you say?”
“Khff!”
She choked on air, coughing reflexively in shock. Her shoulders heaved as she hacked a few more times before she managed to steady her breath. Winston narrowed his eyes, watching his wide-eyed niece, and continued in a low voice.
“Catherine doesn’t know. Not yet. But depending on how things play out, she might.”
“How… how do you even know about that?”
Her words stumbled out, flustered and shaky. Winston simply looked at her like she was pitiful.
“That’s not what matters, Georgina. What you should be focusing on is how to make sure this little incident stays buried and doesn’t screw up your college applications.”
He was right. If this ever came to light, the school would definitely make an issue of it, and even being a Campbell wouldn’t shield her from consequences. Even the lightest disciplinary action would still be a threat with college entrance looming. Letting out a miserable groan, Georgina begrudgingly replied.
“Fine. What do you want? If it’s money, you’ll have to wait until I turn twenty—until I can access the trust.”
At that, Winston let out a short laugh. It was by no means an amused one.
“Georgina, you’re the first person who’s ever tried to bribe me with money.”
Of course, she knew how stupid that had sounded the moment she said it. But honestly, she had no idea what else she could offer. Flushed with embarrassment, Georgina snapped back with irritation.
“Then what the hell do you want from me? You’re not seriously blackmailing me for no reason, are you? Sorry to disappoint you, but there’s not much I can do. I’m just a high school student.”
“You can do something. You’re a smart girl.”
Her rebuttal came quickly, but Winston shut it down just as smoothly, his tone calm and steady.
What the hell is he getting at?
Tension rising, Georgina stared at him, eyes narrowing in wary suspicion. And then Winston spoke.
“You’ve heard Andrew’s been locked up in the psychiatric ward, right?”
Unfortunately, Georgina reacted immediately. And in doing so, she realized—too late—that she’d lost her chance to deny it. Her shoulders sank in defeat as she muttered,
“Yeah. I heard he got locked up again for drugs…”
The moment the words left her lips, she knew. She knew she’d screwed up. At almost the exact same moment, Winston’s mouth curved into a crooked smile.
“So how did you know I was the one who gave Andrew the drugs?”
His voice trembled slightly with intensity, certain—demanding confirmation. But her assumption was way off.
“So it was you.”
That low voice made Georgina realize, yet again, that she’d stepped into the trap like an idiot. Crushed by the pressure he exuded, she hadn’t even noticed he was baiting her. Winston watched her dumbstruck expression and said,
“It wasn’t hard to figure out. When I got the report that Andrew was institutionalized again because of drugs, I simply guessed who might’ve supplied them. Out of everyone he’d been in contact with during that time… the least likely one was you.”
“But… how did you know it was me?”
Georgina’s voice cracked with frustration, more indignant than defensive. Winston shrugged off the question with chilling ease.
“It wasn’t much. I just did a little background check on everyone who visited him around that time.”
And then, after a deliberate pause, he added, “Every single one of them.”
Rage simmered beneath Georgina’s skin, but fear still outweighed her anger. She couldn’t understand what this man really wanted from her—why he’d go so far just to blackmail her like this.
“So what is it you want, then? If you need drugs, go find a damn dealer! I only bought them once, okay?!”
She shouted, desperate now for him to believe she wasn’t some habitual criminal. Breathing heavily, her chest rising and falling in panic, she watched as Winston finally spoke again.
“Information.”
“What?”
Georgina froze. Winston continued, each word slow and deliberate.
“The psychiatric ward where Andrew is being held. I want you to find out exactly where it is.”
