Time rewound to a few days before the Chamber of Commerce began.
It was the day Jonas had summoned Rachel to his office.
With both hands resting on her head and her little mouth parted as she panted, the girl looked decidedly suggestive. But Jonas spent little time appreciating her ridiculous pose. Instead, he spoke under her hate-filled gaze:
"I understand how you feel, Miss Rachel... after all, no one wants to betray someone they love."
He paused, then stood up and continued with a smile:
"But have you considered that what I'm proposing isn't betrayal at all?"
She stared at Jonas, her eyes still brimming with hatred and defiance, seemingly unmoved by his words.
As though sensing her emotions, Jonas sighed and continued:
"Miss Rachel, you should understand that, in many cases, something only constitutes betrayal when it harms the person involved..."
He snapped his fingers, and the girl finally regained control of her body, though only from the waist up.
Finally able to speak, she gritted her teeth and said bitterly:
"You damned scumbag. I'd rather die than let you control me."
Those words were rooted in her pride. The way Jonas toyed so casually with her dignity left her feeling deeply humiliated...
"Miss Rachel, you still don't seem to understand that we're in the same boat."
Jonas sounded somewhat resigned. Hearing that, Rachel spat and snapped:
"Like ■■ I'm in the same boat as you."
Ignoring Rachel's words, Jonas continued his explanation:
"I have no intention of hurting Miss Amau. In fact, letting her return to the Enlis District should have made that clear."
Those words calmed Rachel a little. She eyed Jonas sidelong without arguing.
That was indeed true. If Jonas had wanted to do anything to Amau Sueko, she could never have returned to the