Chapter 1 : First day of work

It was nighttime in City X. Eliana received a briefing about the patient she would be caring for. After working for more than a year at a small private hospital, she had been forced to look for a job elsewhere because her living expenses were becoming increasingly difficult to manage.

However, instead of being assigned to a hospital, Eliana had been tasked with caring for a patient in this luxurious penthouse. The patient's identity was being kept confidential, but Eliana did not pay much attention to it. She needed money to cover her living expenses, and this job offered a fairly generous salary.

"If anything happens, you can scream and leave the room immediately," a middle-aged man told her.

Her duties sounded simple: prepare the food and make sure her patient ate.

Carrying a tray, Eliana walked toward the patient's bedroom. She knocked before opening the door.

"Excuse me, Mr. Adrian," she greeted him as she carried the food over to the man sitting motionlessly in the room.

Eliana furrowed her brows at the dimly lit room. Believing that staying in a dimly lit place for too long could damage one's eyesight, she switched on the lights without a second thought. "Staying in a dimly lit place for too long can make your eyesight worse."

She approached her patient confidently. "It's time for dinner," she said gently as she began arranging the food.

However, before she had finished setting everything down properly, the man who had been sitting motionlessly all this time suddenly kicked all the food away with force.

Crash...

The sound of shattered bowls filled the room. Eliana had no chance to dodge because it happened so quickly. She winced as she looked at the hot soup that had spilled onto her hand and the cuts on her leg from the glass shards of the bowl he had kicked.

"Who told you that you could do whatever you wanted in my room?" the man said, giving her a scornful look.

Trying to endure the burning sensation in her hand, Eliana calmly attempted to explain, "I'm just doing my job. I brought you dinner."

"Get out."

Having dealt with patients who refused their meals before, Eliana did not give up so easily. "I'll bring you a new meal."

However, before she could leave the room, she suddenly felt pain and pressure in her throat as the man grabbed her by the neck and began choking her tightly. Eliana tried to pry his hands away, but no matter how hard she struggled, her strength was no match for his.

The suffocating sensation became increasingly unbearable. Eliana's vision began to blur as her face slowly turned pale. The man did not loosen his grip at all.

Just before she lost consciousness, Eliana saw his lips move.

"Die."

The morning sunlight stung Eliana's eyes as she slowly opened them. Her head hurt so badly that she had to press a hand against her forehead. Her vision was still blurry, making it difficult for her to recognize her surroundings. She winced as she held her forehead, feeling the pain in her head.

She had never expected that she would still be alive. Her throat hurt terribly, and the discomfort was so unbearable that her eyes welled up with tears, almost making her cry. In her entire life, this was the first time someone had nearly taken her life with their own hands.

"Crazy bastard," she muttered. Her voice was hoarse, barely audible.

Her mind replayed the memory of the man choking her, his expression completely blank as he did so. The memory naturally frightened her. What kind of patient was she supposed to be taking care of?

Not long after she regained consciousness, the middle-aged man and several people she had met the day before entered her room.

"We grew suspicious last night because you had been in Mr. Adrian's room for too long. When we went inside to check, we found you lying unconscious," the middle-aged man said as soon as he entered the room.

"He choked me," Eliana said, her voice extremely hoarse.

The middle-aged man slowly sighed. "We will pay you half your salary if you decide to resign."

Eliana fell silent at the offer. She had not even had the chance to ask why they had left her to face such a situation alone.

"I'm the head butler here, Edmund Cole," the man continued, introducing himself.

After hearing his explanation, Eliana slowly nodded.

"May I continue working here, Mr. Cole?"

Edmund was slightly surprised. He had not expected the girl to want to stay after what his young master had done to her. Even so, he felt relieved that Eliana had no intention of resigning.

Eliana did not actually want to stay for no reason. She remembered that she had no savings, that she had not yet paid her rent, and that she had already left her previous job. Finding a new job so quickly was not easy these days. All she could do was lament her misfortune and try to hold on, at least for a little while, until she had saved enough money.

"The young master is rather sensitive. You should rest until you have fully recovered. After that, you can return to work as usual."

Eliana closed her eyes and lay down peacefully as they left the room.

"I think this is a crazy choice," she muttered.

"It's okay, Eliana. Once you've saved enough money, you can leave this horrible job," she said to herself, trying to comfort herself so she would not regret her decision.

Eliana was allowed to stay in the room and rest while she recovered for several days, until she was completely well again. At least she could take a short break before meeting her patient again. The fear was still there whenever the memory resurfaced in her mind.

The next day, Eliana had fully recovered. Thanks to the good care she had received over the past few days, her head and throat no longer hurt. She resumed her day with the same task she had performed on her very first day at work.

She swallowed nervously. She had stopped right in front of the door to the room where she had fainted. Fighting her fear, she knocked on the door again before finally entering the room.

"Excuse me, Mr. Adrian. It's time for breakfast," she said, her voice trembling slightly.

The man sitting in a chair facing the window remained completely motionless and silent. This left Eliana standing there in silence as well, unsure of what to do. Having learned from her previous experience, Eliana did not immediately serve the food directly in front of him.

Instead, she placed the food she had brought on the table first. After setting it down, she felt an overwhelming urge to flee from this terrifying room. Even though the two of them were alone, Eliana still felt the oppressive atmosphere. She looked at the man, who remained absorbed in staring out the window.

"Would you like to go outside?" she asked as she approached him.

Receiving no answer at all, Eliana did not stop talking. "I can accompany you while you eat outside."

Adrian, who had previously been staring out the window, shifted his cold gaze toward Eliana. She could feel his piercing stare.

"I brought you breakfast. You should eat it while it's still warm."

However, the man remained silent, staring at her intensely.

Eliana had prepared herself well. If the man tried to choke her again like he had before, she would immediately run away while screaming as loudly as she could.

Adrian gave Eliana a faint smirk when the girl mentioned breakfast. "Come closer," he said.

"Is there anything I can do? Just tell me, and I'll do it." Eliana knew better than to approach a beast like Adrian.

Seeing the displeased look on his face, Eliana steeled herself and moved closer to him.

"What do you want to say?" she asked when they were close enough.

Pain spread across her scalp. Eliana tried to grab Adrian's hand, but the man only pulled her hair harder.

This time, her fear was mixed with anger. What the hell was wrong with this crazy man? Why did he always hurt other people?

Seeing that the girl no longer seemed as frightened as before, Adrian pulled her hair even harder.

"Ow! Crazy bastard! I think you're the craziest person I've ever met!" Eliana screamed in pain.

She no longer cared about professional etiquette. All she cared about now was the pain in her head. It felt as though her hair would be ripped out at any moment under the force of the man's grip.

Adrian released his grip on the girl's hair.

"I'm not crazy!" he shouted angrily.

Eliana flinched at his words.

"I'm not crazy. No, no, no. I'm not crazy!" Adrian shouted again, pounding his own head violently with his fists.

Eliana was startled by the man's intense reaction. What was actually happening inside him?

She immediately tried to stop Adrian. If he kept hitting his head like that, he could hurt himself.

"I'm not crazy. I'm not crazy. I'm not a madman," he repeated over and over.

"Adrian, stop! You're hurting yourself!" Eliana said as she tried to restrain him.

Like a man possessed, Adrian did not hear her at all. He became increasingly consumed by his own thoughts. He pounded his head violently and screamed as though he were trying to convince himself that he was not the madman everyone else claimed he was.