The moment Thalia finished, she instantly rushed back toward her sister's office.
Usually, every time she compelled someone to erase their memories, it would take about five seconds for them to regain consciousness.
Five seconds.
That was all she needed.
Her steps quickened as she moved down the hallway, her heart still beating faster than usual.
She pushed the door open without knocking, her breath slightly uneven as she stepped inside.
Tiara immediately looked up from her desk, her brows tightening the moment she saw Thalia's expression.
"Well?" she asked.
Thalia didn't answer right away.
Instead, she turned her head slightly, her eyes instinctively shifting toward the door behind her.
"He's coming…" Thalia rushed toward Tiara's desk and quickly hid under it. "I already erased his memories. Act like he just arrived."
Meanwhile, William stood in front of the elevator, standing still.
"Sir," his assistant rushed to his side, "just now, the girl—"
William raised his hand. "The documents… where are they?"
His assistant blinked hard. "Sir, we—"
His words stopped midway when he met William's sharp side-eye glare.
"We only have fifteen minutes here. Do you want me to waste my time?"
The assistant immediately straightened. "No, sir."
He quickly handed over the folder, his movements slightly stiff, as if something felt off but he couldn't quite place it.
William took it without another word, flipping it open as his expression returned to the same cold and composed demeanor he always carried. He glanced at the watch on his wrist.
"Never mind," he pinched his forehead as he was frowning, "let's go back." He returned the folder to his assistant. "Beto… inform Miss Tiara that I couldn't continue the meeting for today. Ask her to come to my office tomorrow."
Beto, who had been confused since earlier, just nodded. "Okay, sir."
They didn't waste another second.
William turned and walked into the elevator, his steps steady and unhurried as if this visit had been nothing more than a routine schedule that no longer required his attention.
Beto followed closely behind, still trying to piece together what had just happened, but with the way his boss carried himself, there was nothing for him to question.
Inside Tiara's office—silence.
Thalia stayed crouched under the desk, her hands pressed lightly against the floor as she listened carefully, her ears almost straining to catch any sound from outside.
"Still not here?" she whispered to her sister.
"Are you sure you've done it?" Tiara asked, furrowing her brows.
She nodded confidently. "I did it like I always do."
Silence continued as they looked at each other until Tiara's phone suddenly rang.
"Oh gosh!" Tiara flinched. She picked up the phone and looked at the number. "William Carter's assistant." She then signaled Thalia to stay silent. "Yes, Mr. Brown?"
"Mrs. Kim, I'm sorry that we need to reschedule the meeting today as Mr. Carter has another urgent matter. Please come to Mr. Carter's office tomorrow at three."
Tiara's grip on the phone tightened slightly.
"I understand," she replied, her tone steady despite the tension still lingering in the room. "I'll be there."
The call ended. Silence returned.
But this time it felt different.
Thalia slowly crawled out from under the desk, her expression slowly brightening as realization settled in.
"See?" she said, brushing off her clothes. "He doesn't remember anything."
Tiara didn't respond immediately. But then she offered her hand to pull Thalia up. "He rescheduled the meeting…"
Tiara's voice was quite low, like she was unsure and didn't have a good feeling.
"I guess he is just a busy person…" Thalia said, standing up straight but a second later she stumbled back as her head was spinning.
"Be careful!" Tiara shot up from her seat and snatched her right away, to make sure she didn't fall down, "What happened?!"
Thalia frowned and shook her head weakly. "I don't know… I guess…" she gulped, "my power is decreasing…"
Tiara's expression changed immediately. The grip on her arm tightened just slightly, not enough to hurt, but enough to show how serious she had taken those words.
"Decreasing?" she repeated, her voice lowering.
Thalia nodded, still trying to steady herself as she pressed her fingers against her temple, as if that would somehow stop the dizziness. "It wasn't like this before… I only used a small amount just now, but…" she trailed off, her brows knitting together as the uneasy feeling lingered.
Tiara didn't interrupt her this time. She was watching closely, too closely, her gaze scanning Thalia from head to toe as if she was trying to see something that wasn't visible to the eyes.
"Your core," Tiara said quietly.
Thalia froze for a brief second before forcing a small, unconvincing smile. "It's fine. You already said it's unstable, right? This is probably just part of it."
"Probably?" Tiara echoed, clearly not satisfied with that answer.
Thalia avoided her gaze. "I mean… it's not like I'm dying right now."
The moment those words left her mouth, Tiara's expression darkened.
"Don't joke about that." Her tone wasn't loud, but it was enough to make Thalia straighten instinctively.
"But last week, you used it, right?" Tiara asked, just to confirm. "It didn't have this kind of effect?"
For a second, neither of them spoke.
Thalia then shook her head. "I was doing fine the last time I used it. But…" She gulped, her brows furrowing as she tried to think of every possible reason her energy was draining. "Tiara, would..." She stopped, "Never mind."
"What is it? You should never stop when you already spark my curiosity." Tiara's tone was obvious, she was starting to get annoyed.
Biting her lips hesitating, Thalia swallowed before speaking, "Is there kissing someone draining my energy instead?"
Her question made Tiara frown. "What do you mean? You should know better, you are the one draining other's energy."
Tiara stared at her for a long second, like she was trying to decide whether Thalia had just said something ridiculous or something far worse.
"Wait, did you just say, kissing?" she repeated slowly.
Thalia shifted under that look. "Just… answer the question."
Tiara's eyes narrowed. "Who did you kiss?"
"That's not important."
"It's very important!" Tiara's voice echoed through every corner of the room. She gulped, then took a steady breath. "Tell me… was it William Carter? Did you kiss William Carter earlier?"