His Obsession Began After Losing Her-Chapter 27: Broken but Unyielding

Karlene stared at the man before her, her expression darkening.

The once-handsome Noran was now unrecognizable.

He had lost so much weight that his cheeks were sunken in, and his eyes appeared empty as if his soul had been taken.

His lips were marred with teeth marks and torn wounds from his constant biting.

It was impossible to see the charming Noran he once was; the past year without Shuri had changed him beyond recognition.

"Your dinner," Karlene said, sounding a little annoyed, as she pushed the bag of food to him.

Noran looked blankly at the bag in his hand and only closed the door after Karlene had walked in.

"Snowball..."

Karlene heard his faint murmur and replied, "He hasn't been eating well, so I placed him in the vet for IV vitamin therapy. I'll monitor him closely."

Noran nodded and placed the bag of food on the table before moving away.

Karlene had guessed where he was heading and frowned.

"Aren't you going to eat? Do you want me to take you to the hospital to get a drip too?"

"They are still not talking..." Noran muttered weakly as if he lacked the strength to speak.

He was referring to Lester and his parents, whom he had kept in the basement.

Noran had captured Lester a few months ago, using ruthless methods to avenge Shuri.

He believed Lester and his parents were responsible for Shuri's disappearance, but despite his efforts, they wouldn't give him the answer he wanted.

Feeling helpless, Karlene walked over to Noran and said, "It's been a year..."

Karlene paused, thinking back to the one year without Shuri.

When Karlene first heard the news of her disappearance, she was devastated.

She couldn't accept that her sister was dead and kept searching for her.

But all evidence pointed to Shuri's death.

Then, half a year ago, she found Noran at Shuri's house.

He stood there like a ghost, staring at Shuri's belongings.

She rushed over, hitting him and venting all her anger on him, cursing him for being useless and failing to protect her sister.

He just stood there, silently accepting her blows.

She cried her heart out that day.

Afterward, he left quietly, and she followed him all the way to this place, where he had held Lester captive.

Lester was in a horrifying state.

His body was a tapestry of bruises and cuts, with bones visibly broken and jutting at odd angles beneath his skin.

His face was swollen and disfigured, and his fingers twisted unnaturally from the relentless torture.

He was barely recognizable, a shell of the man he once was.

His eyes, filled with pain and despair, stared blankly, and every breath he took was a struggle.

Noran's torment had left him in a state of perpetual agony, his spirit as shattered as his body.

However, Karlene held no sympathy for Lester.

Instead, seeing him only fueled her anger even more.

She started hitting him mercilessly, and no matter how much she beat him, Lester still insisted he saw Shuri die in that fire.

And now, after a few months, Noran captured his parents, and like Lester, they said they didn't take Shuri.

Unlike Shuri, Karlene wasn't good at judging people.

Shuri was always the one protecting her from those with malicious intentions and even taught her a few ways to tell if someone was lying.

Thanks to that, Karlene knew that Noran's parents and Lester were telling the truth.

They didn't know where Shuri was, and if they hadn't taken her, it could only mean one thing...

"You should stop," Karlene said, her voice wavering and eyes downcast.

"They aren't lying, you know that... My sister, she..."

Karlene didn't want to admit it.

After her parents died, her only family member left was Shuri, who had been her pillar of support.

So, how could she accept that her one and only family member had left this world so suddenly?

However, for the past year, everything she had uncovered only pointed to her that Shuri had died.

It left her with no choice.

Karlene wasn't lying to Roy when she said she had accepted her sister's death.

"Rin must be frightened to come back..." Noran suddenly murmured.

Karlene looked up at him with a confused expression.

"My Rin is so understanding and sweet. She wouldn't have kept us waiting... She must be frightened to come back because the people who hurt her are still here," Noran muttered, his eyes wild and a slightly crazed look on his face.

It was unknown when he began to believe that as long as he killed those who harmed Shuri, he'd get her back.

Karlene lowered her gaze at the broken man.

She hated him and blamed him for her sister's death, but looking at his current wretched state, she couldn't find it in herself to hate him anymore.

If Shuri were to see him now, Karlene believed she would be so heartbroken.

"Noran, you can't go on like this," Karlene said gently, her voice softening for the first time.

"You have to accept that my sister... has died..."

Noran remained silent at first, his eyes fixed on the floor.

The room was heavy with the weight of her words, and Karlene wondered if he would ever truly accept the reality.

After a long moment, Noran finally spoke, his voice barely a whisper. "There's still Sophia Carter..."

Her words didn't get to him, or even if they did, he wouldn't stop until everyone who was involved in hurting Shuri was properly punished.

Karlene took a deep breath.

She knew there was no way to stop Noran.

He had planned this for over a year, and vengeance was the only reason he was even alive.

In fact, Karlene also believed that those who killed her sister should suffer.

"I'll be moving back to Midori Town next week, and I'm bringing Snowball along," Karlene informed him, her voice back to being steady.

"During this week, if you need any help with your plan to get that bitch, let me know."

Noran didn't reply immediately.

The silence that followed was heavy.

Finally, he gave a slow nod and walked away without a word.

Karlene watched him go, knowing full well that he wouldn't get her involved.

...

A few days later.

Sophia hurried out of her office, her movements frantic and agitated. She glanced around the corridor, her eyes narrowing when she spotted her new assistant.

"Is the car ready?" she snapped, her voice tight with impatience.

The new assistant, a young woman named Laura, glanced up nervously. "There's a problem with the car, Miss. Carter. The mechanics are trying to resolve it. But don't worry, a new driver will be assigned to you soon."

Sophia exhaled sharply, her frustration evident.

"Nothing has been going right for me lately," she muttered under her breath.

"First, I can't contact Jessica, and now this."

Jessica had been Sophia's personal assistant for over a decade, a trusted confidante who knew many details about her life.

But two days ago, Jessica vanished without a trace.

In the wake of her disappearance, some confidential information that Jessica had access to was somehow leaked to the public.

The leak exposed some of Sophia's deepest secrets: bribery of officers, solicitation of kidnapping, insider trading, tax evasion, and more.

It was unclear whether Lloyd Media had been unable or unwilling to keep her illegal activities under wraps, but the result was that the scandal made headlines everywhere, tarnishing Sophia's reputation and putting her under intense scrutiny.

Sophia clenched her fists, her eyes blazing with anger. "I need to leave the country."

She turned to Laura, her voice sharp and urgent. "Hurry up and find a new driver. I'll leave through the backdoor."

Laura nodded quickly, her fingers already tapping on her phone to make the necessary arrangements.

"I'll handle it, Miss Carter. Please wait here for a moment."

Sophia paced the corridor, her mind racing.

She knew the main entrance was swarming with reporters, all eager to get a statement on the recent leaks.

She hoped the backdoor would be a safer route.

A few minutes later, Laura returned, her face pale.

"Miss. Carter, the new driver will meet you at the back entrance in five minutes."

Sophia gave a curt nod and headed toward the back exit.

However, as she pushed open the door, she was met with the blinding flashes of cameras and the deafening roar of reporters shouting questions.

"Miss Carter, is it true you orchestrated kidnappings?"

"How do you respond to the corruption charges?"

"Are you fleeing the country to avoid prosecution?"

Sophia tried to maintain her composure, but her heart was pounding.

"No comment," she said firmly, attempting to push her way through the throng of reporters.

The questions kept coming, each more relentless than the last. "What about the bribery allegations?"

"Did you really engage in insider trading?"

"How long have you been laundering money?"

Sophia's hands shook as she tried to appear calm, her eyes scanning the area desperately for her escape.

Just then, she saw a luxurious car pull up, the door swinging open automatically.

Without a second thought, she darted towards it, shoving past the reporters and diving into the back seat.

She slammed the door shut behind her, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Drive, now," she commanded, not bothering to look at the driver.

As the car sped away, Sophia allowed herself a moment to relax.

The reporters, with their relentless questions and flashing cameras, were behind her now.

She took a deep breath, trying to gather her thoughts.

She needed a plan, a way to handle the situation and avoid going to jail.

Her mind raced with possibilities.

She could use her connections to bribe officials and delay the investigation.

Perhaps with her family's help, she could find a scapegoat to take the fall for her crimes.

Or maybe she could flee to a country without an extradition treaty.

She considered all her assets and resources, thinking of how she could liquidate them quickly and move her wealth offshore.

Lost in her thoughts, Sophia didn't notice the change in scenery at first.

It was only when she looked out the window that she realized they were no longer heading towards the airport.

Instead, the car was moving into the outskirts of the city, passing by old factories and abandoned warehouses.

Panic started to rise within her.

"Where are you taking me?" she demanded, her voice sharp.

The driver didn't respond, and the car continued down the desolate road.

Sophia's heart pounded as she tried to make sense of what was happening.

The industrial landscape outside grew more remote and eerie, the buildings becoming fewer and farther between.

"Answer me!" she shouted, her fear turning into anger. "I said, where are you taking me?"

The car suddenly slowed to a stop.

The driver turned towards her, and Sophia's eyes widened in shock.

"Noran?" she gasped.

Despite looking much more haggard now, she could recognize the face before her.

Noran's expression was unreadable as he pulled out a syringe from his pocket.

Before Sophia could react, he jabbed it into her arm.

She felt a sharp sting, followed by a wave of dizziness.

Her vision blurred, and she struggled to keep her eyes open.

"Noran, what are you doing?" she slurred, her strength fading rapidly.

Noran didn't answer.

The last thing she saw before everything went black was his cold, murderous gaze.