Clap!

A clear and loud slap suddenly boomed in the restroom.

William could feel his face burning and his ears buzzing.

Mary\'s eyes were brimming with tears as she shook off William\'s hand. Sneering, she spat, "William, that was for raping me that night. From now on, we don\'t owe each other anymore! I won\'t bother you anymore. Please stay away from me."

She lowered her head, her entire body trembling.

Upon hearing this, William shut his eyes close and exhaled sharply. When he opened them again, he had an indifferent look on his face. "Mary, I\'m the one who hurt you. I\'ll give you anything you want—anything but love and marriage. This time, I owe you. Remember that."

William slowly turned around. "Kevin and Jane will be here soon. Hurry up and fix yourself."

Mary raised her head, tears welled up under her eyes as her vision was blurred.

The door clicked—it was closed. William remained motionless, frozen in spot. He balled his hands into fists, grimacing in pain.

\'Mary, I\'m sorry.\'

Jane and Kevin reached the 32nd floor just before the clock struck eight o\'clock.

The atmosphere was thick with tension which did not go unnoticed by Jane.

Everything seemed normal as Mary sat on her desk, seemingly hard at work. The stillness in the air made her chest tighten.

"Kevin..." Jane quietly approached Kevin and asked, "Do you feel that too? There\'s something off about the atmosphere here."

Kevin frowned. The awkwardness was certainly not lost on him but he knew that there were some things that he

as going to pick you up?"

"Fuck off!" William glowered at him.

"I\'m leaving. Let\'s see who\'s going to listen to you." Lucas snorted. "I\'m the only one who can give you advice."

"Then what do you think I should do?" William asked, taking a sip of his wine.

"Never give up!" Lucas looked him in the eye. "You raped her! Why did you give her a check? You should be thankful she didn\'t beat you up and report you to the police!"

Visibly nonplussed, William touched his face which was swollen.

"You should beg for her forgiveness and you have to be sincere! Besides, your contract hasn\'t expired yet. Is this your plan for the next few months? Just wait idly? Never speak to her again?"

Upon hearing this, William thought it made sense. After giving it more thought, he asked, "What if she doesn\'t talk to me?"

"Didn\'t I tell you to never give up? If you treat her well, she won\'t be mad at you anymore. You have to make up for what you did to her," Lucas said anxiously.

\'Since it has already happened, there\'s no way out of it. The only thing left to do is beg for her forgiveness and hope she accepts it, \' he thought. "Let\'s go home," William said as he stood up.

Lucas remained in his seat and snickered when William failed to notice that he hadn\'t moved. \'Bro, there\'s only so much I can help you with. Since you already slept with her, why don\'t you just maintain your relationship with her? Maybe she\'ll fall in love with you and you\'ll fall in love with her too. Then you won\'t have to go to Norway anymore.\'