"Excuse me? What do you mean by that?"

The distinguished gentleman cleared his throat once again. "Yes, that’s correct. I came here to find one of your employees, someone named Sylvia..." he continued calmly.

Sarah’s eyes widened. "Wh-what? Who? Sylvia? Is that right?"

The man gave a slow nod as he crossed one leg over the other. "Yes, that’s right. You heard me correctly. I’m looking for Sylvia."

I swallowed hard, my mind instantly flashing back to the chaos that erupted when Sylvia ran away. God, I thought that mess was over. I had no idea it would spiral into something even bigger—something more complicated.

I saw Sarah frown slightly. "Would you mind explaining why you're looking for her? Please give me the details."

"Well, here’s the situation, Miss—"

"Call me Madam. I own Wonderland. And these are Rosaline and Ivanna, my personal assistants," Sarah cut in smoothly, even though he hadn’t asked.

"Ah, so you’re the 'Madam' that Sylvia mentioned." The man gave a sly smile. For a split second, I noticed how his smile resembled Sebastian’s. Ugh, of course it did—Sebastian was his son.

I clenched my fingers, a wave of unease washing over me as I was forced to face the truth: I was sitting right across from the man who should’ve been proudly called “Father” by Sebastian and Amelie. But instead, he was hated—despised—by his own children. His own flesh and blood. And it was all his fault.

"Oh? So Sylvia talked about me often?" Sarah asked, offering a thin smile.

"Thankfully, yes. She only spoke highly of you, Madam," the man chuckled. "That’s actually why I chose to come see you first... before I take more drastic measures."
This time, his tone grew heavier, and a flicker of anger appeared in his eyes.

"Drastic measures? What do you mean by that, sir?"

"I'm planning to take legal action."

Sarah took a deep breath. "Please, tell me everything. I’d like to understand the full situation."

Before he spoke, the man picked up the cup of warm tea just delivered by the cleaning staff. He sipped it slowly, then said:

"Just for your information. I married Sylvia. She’s my second wife."

Sarah’s eyes went wide. I froze too—so did Fania. We exchanged worried, stunned glances.

"What!! You *married* Sylvia?" Sarah repeated, as if trying to confirm what she just heard. But there was no doubt—Fania and I had heard him loud and clear.

"I have documents and witnesses to prove it. I can provide them if necessary," he said calmly. "What matters is that she’s legally my wife—my *second* wife." The man gave another quiet laugh.

I clenched my fingers again. I couldn’t help but recall the time I accidentally overheard Amelie and Sebastian’s phone call... Could it have been during the time their father married Sylvia? Every piece was falling into place. The timeline matched exactly.

God. That was it. That was the moment Amelie and Sebastian were completely devastated—the moment their father married Sylvia!

"So what’s the problem, then? Why come all the way here looking for me?" Sarah asked firmly. "To be clear, Sylvia was removed from our staff list a long time ago. Ever since she ran away without explanation, she hasn’t been a part of Wonderland anymore."

"I see," the man nodded slowly. "So she no longer has any ties to you or this place?" He glanced around Sarah’s office.

"That’s right. The way she left caused damage to my business. She broke her contract and left without notice. In fact, she should’ve paid a penalty for that."

"Contract?" he repeated with a frown. "What kind of contract?"

"At Wonderland, employees and partners are strictly forbidden from forming personal relationships with clients. If anyone is caught dating—or worse, marrying—a client, they’re warned, terminated, and fined. That’s a serious breach of our code."

The man chuckled. "Ah, that explains it. No wonder Sylvia rushed me into marrying her. She begged me to take her away and tie the knot as soon as possible. Cunning woman!"

He gritted his teeth. "Just so you know, barely a month after our wedding, she ran off with her boyfriend! I have my own set of rules too, you see. I married her under a contract."

I remembered what Sebastian once told me—how his father constantly chased after younger wives, changing them year after year, often having more than one at a time. A disgusting habit that left his mother brokenhearted.

Suddenly, I felt furious seeing Sebastian’s father sitting so casually in front of us.

"So why are you here, then? Why not just go after Sylvia directly?" Sarah asked, her voice sharp.

"Because I *did* try. I couldn’t find her! She disappeared—ran off with money and some very important documents of mine! That woman is cunning and greedy. I didn’t realize it until she vanished with her lover. She must’ve planned the whole thing from the start!"

He slammed his palm on the table, making all of us—Sarah, Fania, and me—flinch in shock.

"So tell me, Madam... what do *you* think I should do with Sylvia?"

"Excuse me, but why are you asking me that? I’ve told you already—Sylvia has nothing to do with us anymore."

"I know that," he nodded. "I don’t care about the money. What I care about... is the *unfinished* marriage contract between me and Sylvia!"

"What do you mean by that?" Sarah asked, her voice starting to waver.

"I want compensation."

"Compensation? For what? I was the one harmed by Sylvia too, sir!"

"That’s not my concern! It's your problem. What matters is—I want justice for what she did to me!"

Sebastian Father jaw tightened, his fingers curling into fists on the armrest of the chair. His eyes burned with a kind of fury that seemed barely held back.

"You know what hurts the most?" he said, voice low but trembling with restrained anger. "It's not the money. Hell, I can earn it back in a week. It's the insult. The sheer *audacity* of that woman to play me like a fool!"

He stood up abruptly, his towering presence now looming over us. His expensive suit wrinkled slightly as he paced, unable to keep still.

"I gave her *everything*—a house, security, a future she could only dream of. I was even willing to change my will!" He let out a bitter laugh, one that didn’t hide the sting of betrayal. "And in return? She spat on it. She used me, and then ran off with that degenerate gambler she called a 'love of her life'!"

Sarah and I remained silent, watching as the man’s pride cracked right before our eyes.

"She’s not just cunning—she’s dangerous. Manipulative. A woman like that doesn't just lie, she calculates. Plans. *Destroys.* And she almost destroyed me."

He turned back to us, his gaze sharp and piercing. "And now, Madam, you’re telling me she’s not your responsibility? Fine. But don’t think for one second I’ll let this slide. I will find her. And when I do, she’ll learn what it means to cross *me*."

Suddenly, a cold feeling settled in my chest. Something told me this situation was about to spiral even further out of control.

***