Rembrandt was on his way to the Reyes Chamber of Commerce.
And it was to meet a certain someone.
Entering the living quarters for the live-in staff, he headed to a small room in the basement, which is usually used as a storage room.
There is a man who was under house arrest for refusing to continue working for the Reyes Chamber of Commerce, which had replaced its top management.
The Reyes Chamber of Commerce is now owned by Noyce Strydom, and despite a few hiccups, all existing employees were basically retained.
Only the wage structure was slightly modified in order to create a system in which, in addition to a base salary paid equally, compensation is added based on the amount of work performed and the number of deals concluded.
It is a position that guarantees a certain level of livelihood to employees, but also allows for higher salaries depending on the work of each individual.
Competent employees were paid more, and naturally, this increased the morale of the employees as well.
However, he was the only one among them who refused to work.
It was Zacharias, the man who had the audacity to say that his master was Alejandro, and that he would serve no one but Alejandro.
Arriving at the front of the room, Rembrandt opened the door and turned his attention to the figure inside
The man inside, Zacharias, also returned a provocative look.
About a month has passed since Alejandro was brought to the hospital.
Zacharias worked quietly at the Reyes Chamber of Commerce for the first week, but he became frustrated when Alejandro did not return anytime soon and asked McKay what was going on.
Only McKay, the former president, and the treasurer knew that the top management had been replaced. Therefore, Zacharias distrusted McKay, who was reluctant to say anything.
He wondered if he was holding Alejandro, his successor, in his hands.
When McKay told him to shut up and continue working as before, Zacharias replied that Alejandro was the only one who could order him to do so.
It would have been easy to fire him, but he would have sniffed around even if they let him go. Letting him go would be more troublesome, so they tried to persuade him but failed, leading to the current situation.
Here, McKay finally reported up to Noyce, who was amused and told Rembrandt about it.
Rembrandt then found a use for Zacharias and came here.
“…look who it is, the son of the corporate raider. What do you want? As I told you before, I serve no one but Alejandro-sama.”
This loyal subordinate, who stubbornly believes that Alejandro has been dealt with, is probably plotting some kind of revenge for his master.
He seems to think he is dead, but he has no intention of going after them. He does not go on any hunger strike and eats all the food served to him.
He also seems to be exercising reasonably well in this confined space.
“No, no, no. I thought that since you are so loyal to Alejandro, you could take care of this.”
Rembrandt sat down in his chair, seemingly unperturbed by the murderous glare he was receiving.
“You would only work for Alejandro, wouldn’t you?”
“…you’re threatening me.”
“No, I’d rather ask you to do this willingly. After all, we were having trouble finding the right person for the job.”
With Zacharias staring at him doubtfully, Rembrandt chuckled.
“I’ll take you to see Alejandro. I will then explain the job I want you to do, and you can tell me then whether you will accept it or not.”
With that, he stood up, turned his back to the surprised Zacharias, and headed for the door.
“Follow me.”
…
…
…
He kidnapped Natalia and was pursued; he jumped into the river himself; he protected Natalia in the process and suffered an injury to his neck; he was unconscious for a long time; and now the lower half of his body is paralyzed.
“Yes. Well, from where he thinks his sister is still alive, I’d say he remembers precisely up to before she drowned.”
“…such, a thing…”
“…Alejandro-sama…? This is…”
Rembrandt told Zacharias about the incident a month earlier upon his arrival at the hospital.
Zacharias stared at Alejandro, who sat in his wheelchair, stunned.
Alejandro also looks back at Zacharias curiously.
There was no emotion in his gaze, as though he was looking at a stranger.
…
…
…
That day.
Alejandro found Natalia in the hospital hallway and began to cry as he spoke his sister’s name.
Alejandro, who had been psychologically abused by his mother as a child, seemed to look for a face he knew as soon as he regained consciousness in the hospital.
However, there was no one there, including his mother and servants, who knew Alejandro, and as a result, he decided to keep his mouth shut and see what would happen.
He doesn’t remember anything, but apparently he was injured.
He couldn’t move the lower half of his body, and he was in a wheelchair wherever he went.
He was not consciously aware of the fact that his body was older.
Meals are served regularly and his body is also wiped periodically.
He was reassured that he was apparently not going to be treated badly.
Yet, his eyes still inevitably searched for someone he knows.
At that moment, he finally saw the face he knew across the hallway on his way to his walk.
It’s also the face he wanted to see the most.
His heart ached with nostalgia, and when he tried to call out her name, the words did not come out properly.
Tears welled up.
His heart ached as if it was being squeezed.
Alive. She’s alive.
She was alive.
An important, precious, treasured possession.
He wondered to himself with such thoughts.
Why would I think that?
Because we played together just the other day.
Yeah, but.
“…Milch…”
Why does it feel like we haven’t seen each other for a long, long time now?