Klaus didn't know what his secretary was thinking, but her expression painted what she felt in her chest. He never thought a cheerful woman like her would ever have suicidal thoughts.
He knew nothing about Sheila besides the curriculum vitae he got when that woman applied for a job. Klaus was not the type of person who cared about other people's problems, so he never asked about her life.
To him, their relationship was nothing more than employee and boss. Besides, he was too busy with his problems.
"I didn't know you'd been in that situation," Klaus said. It was the only thing that came into his head.
"Yeah. It was a tough time. It's lucky I met them."
After saying that, Sheila became even more depressed. Klaus could see her thinking about the past. Suddenly, tears rolled down Sheila's cheeks. The bad memories that were buried in her heart resurfaced.
Naturally, Klaus was surprised. He picked up the tissue box on the table and handed it to her. Sheila smiled as she wiped away her tears.
Not knowing how to respond to this situation, Klaus could only frown. He did not expect the atmosphere to change so quickly. He was not good at comforting people who were sad.
"Sorry, boss, if I'm suddenly crying. There's something wrong in my head," Sheila said.
"No, you're not. I know you just remembered something you shouldn't have. I can feel you."
Like her, Klaus had many sad and distressing memories of his previous life. There were many things he wanted to forget.
Sitting next to Sheila, Klaus held her shoulders to comfort her feelings. It was the only thought in his head.
"Do you want to tell me your story?" Klaus asked. "Maybe by telling it, you can ease your feelings."
Sheila pursed her lips. She was silent for a long time. Her eyes were downcast, and her hands trembled. Klaus knew immediately that his secretary had been traumatized.
Klaus thought, "Is the trauma she experienced related to her reason for leaving the CIA?" Questions popped up in his mind. He began curious about Sheila's past, but she didn't seem ready to tell him.
With Laplace's help, Klaus can peek into his secretary's past. Sheila had the talent [Memory Absorb], allowing her to see the memories of people she touched. Still, that woman never tried to use it on him. So, he respected her. Klaus wouldn't insist if she didn't want to reveal it.
Besides, if Sheila dared to absorb his memories, she would lose her sanity.
Klaus sighed. "If you don't want to tell me, it's okay. You must have been through a lot of things."
Sheila laughed as she wiped away her tears, trying to break the ice. "Ah, haha. Sorry, boss. I don't know what happened to me. I just started crying all of a sudden."
Klaus just nodded. He then got up.
"That's all right. Get some rest. I just came to check on you and Sylvia. And always contact me even if you left your smartphone behind."
Sheila patted her forehead. "Ah, right. I left it at Miranda's house. I wanted to retrieve it, but I was too focused on tracking down vampires. I'm sorry, boss!"
"It's okay," Klaus replied.
Suddenly, Sheila opened her eyes wide, realizing something. "Uh, how do you know Miranda, boss?"
Klaus raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? We've been talking about them." He shook his head. "You're out of focus, Sheila."
The short-haired woman bit her lip in shame. She realized her stupidity.
"I can see the dark circles in your eyes; you need to sleep. Tonight we will hunt vampires."
Klaus stood up from his chair and left the room.
...
The South Bronx's streets lay shrouded in darkness, cloaked in silence as the moonlight pierced through the billowing clouds.
The wind blew in, bringing with it the chill and serenity of the night. Cars were parked on the side of the road next to elongated five-story apartments. The light was dime as shopkeepers closed their stores.
Normally, people filled the streets until morning, but ever since the rumors about vampires circulated, people did not dare to go out when it was dark. Only awakeners and a few people with guts dared to walk alone under the night sky.
However, despite the rumors, the Awakener Association had not sent their men to investigate. One reason for this was that the Bronx's crime rate was very high. They assumed the victims were gangsters and left the case to the local police.
In a deserted residential block, a car was parked on the side of the road. The radio played a rock song that chased away the silence inside. Looking out the window, Klaus observed the outside.
"Did you get any news from them?" A red-haired woman sat in the driver's seat, asking Klaus.
Klaus shook his head.
"Maybe Roach is organizing his men. We must wait for the vampire to come out on its own." Sheila said. She was busy watching the CCTV footage, analyzing the vampire's behavior.
After reaching an agreement, Klaus and Roach planned to capture the vampire. The gang leader wanted to capture it in the next two days, but Klaus urged him to do so immediately.
Time was chasing, and dozens of works were waiting on the table. Klaus needed to finish the hunt tonight.
Based on the plan, Roach and his men would comb the areas where the vampire had dumped its victims. In the meantime, Klaus and Sylvia waited until they had news.
Klaus saw Sheila in the reflection of the mirror. That woman should not have been part of the plan.
Sheila was worried about a vampire attacking Miranda and the orphans as their home was in the South Bronx neighborhood. So, she insisted on joining the hunt.
Of course, Klaus did not allow her to join, considering she had no combat skills. He thought that Sheila would only slow down the team. However, after Klaus saw the seriousness in her eyes, he finally agreed.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
The smartphone vibrated. A message came in. Klaus smiled as he read the message. Sheila and Sylvia glanced at him from the reflection in the rearview mirror.
"They found it?" Sheila asked.
Sylvia waited for an answer as she bounced her head up and down, enjoying the rock music.
As Klaus wanted to tell them, suddenly, a haunting cry pierced the night, echoing through the narrow streets.
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