On the cold night, in a small hotel near the ski resort of S City, a man was sitting in front of a computer and smoking. His face was blocked by the smoke rings that puffed out of his mouth, making it difficult to see his expression.
Suddenly, the phone vibrated and rang on the table.
Narrowing his eyes while flashing a wicked smile, he answered the call, "Hello? Have you received my photos, Mr. Liang?"
"Yes, I did," replied Frank in a deep voice.
"Well, what do you think? Are you satisfied?" The man took a deep drag on the cigarette and pressed its fiery end on the table.
"Yes, I'm delighted!" Staring at the picture, Frank gnashed his teeth in seethed anger.
"Then, the money..."
"I'll wire it to you now," said Frank coldly. "Continue to follow them tomorrow and give me all the details."
"Okay!" The man smiled respectfully, "I will not let you down!"
"Okay." Frank hung up the phone and shifted his full attention on the screen.
He gently moved the mouse with his right hand, and the light reflected from the computer made his face turn even grimmer. Looking at each photo stimulated his nerves to the core.
In those photographs were William and Mary walking hand in hand, going on a ski, building a snowman, and even kissing as the snowflakes dropped.
‘William, you don’t even know how to hide your smile, huh?
What are you doing now?’ Frank thought.
Then, he stood up from his chair and walked to the window. He gazed at the lights in the distance, expressi
t commanded, haughtily straightening his clothes.
"Yes, sir."
Staring at the villa one last time, Corbett got in the car, ready to go to Thailand with his men.
It was already afternoon when Frank sobered up and woke up from his sleep. The moment he opened his eyes, he found himself alone in the bedroom.
His head was throbbing with a seething pain, obviously, from the hangover he was having.
And for a moment, only the sound of the clock ticking could be heard.
Frank took out a cigarette and lit it up. Suddenly, an idea flashed through his mind while he was puffing the smoke.
‘Maybe I can take advantage of this situation,’
he thought to himself as clouds of smoke flew before his face.
He looked around to search for his phone and picked it up from where it fell.
This time, he was determined to call only one person––William.
Meanwhile, sitting on the back of the car on their way back from the ski resort, Mary leaned against the window and stared at the scenery passing by. She neither wished to start a conversation nor even looked at the man beside her.
At the same time, William closed his eyes, hoping he could rest from feeling so restless.
Just as the deafening silence filled the car's atmosphere, his phone suddenly rang in his pocket.
After taking it out, he quickly slid his finger on the screen and pressed it in his ear. "Hello?" A hoarse voice greeted from the other end of the line. Taking a glance at Mary, William answered worriedly, "Frank?"