His Obsession Began After Losing Her-Chapter 85: The Finest Puppet

Nigel had been missing for a day, and the atmosphere in the chairman's office was thick with tension.

Roy's intel team had tracked down the location where Nigel had dropped his phone.

They reported the matter to the authorities, but since the area he had been abducted in had no CCTV, tracking his movements proved impossible.

"Don't worry, our intelligence department is actively working on it," Roy said, trying to reassure Noran. "Did you manage to find out if Nigel had offended anyone recently?"

Although Noran wasn't close to Nigel personally and knew little about his personal affairs, he knew Nigel wasn't the type to make enemies.

Besides, why would Nigel call him for help when he got attacked?

It had to be because Nigel was following Noran's orders that he found himself in danger.

"I think I'm the reason he got into trouble," Noran admitted in a low voice.

"You?" Roy raised his brows.

Noran began to explain everything that had happened recently. The only person Noran had tasked Nigel to look into was Sigmund, and it had led to unexpected results.

Even his toughest men couldn't handle Sigmund, and now his most trusted and incredibly capable assistant had gone missing.

This made Sigmund more dangerous than he had anticipated.

"What the fuck! If what you said is true, this Dr. Sung is really dangerous! Should I send my men to investigate him further?" Roy exclaimed.

Noran raised an eyebrow. "If you don't mind risking your men going missing and losing their memories."

Roy fell silent, clearly taken aback. "Fuck! There must be an explanation for all these to happen! How can one man have the power to do all these? This is not a novel world, you know?"

Noran didn't know how to reply to Roy's remark because he was one of those with the power to return to the past, and he had been gifted with a divine blessing in this life—a power he hadn't quite been able to control well yet.

Even as they were speaking, the pink butterfly, the source of his power, fluttered around them, invisible to Roy.

As they sat in contemplation, Noran's phone rang, breaking the silence.

He answered it quickly. "Speak."

"Mr. Lee, the authorities have just called to inform you that they have found Mr. Miles," his secretary informed him.

"They found Nigel?"

"Yes, Mr. Lee. According to them, Mr. Miles is currently admitted to Sung Medical Hospital."

"Alright."

After Noran put down the phone, Roy, who had overheard the news, looked at him in surprise.

"What? They found Nigel?" Roy asked, eyes wide with shock.

"Yes, he's being hospitalized," Noran replied, still trying to process the information.

"How did they find him so quickly when our intelligence team couldn't?" Roy questioned, suspicion lacing his tone.

Noran also found it odd.

There was clearly more to this situation than met the eye.

Realizing he couldn't uncover the truth by staying in the office, he knew he needed to visit Nigel personally and arrange for his transfer to another hospital.

He couldn't trust the facility that belonged to Sigmund's family.

Noran got up, took his coat, and prepared to leave.

"Are you going to visit Nigel?" Roy asked.

"Yes, there are many things I need to find out personally," Noran responded.

"I'll come with you," Roy offered, standing up.

"Stay to help me manage affairs here. I won't take long," Noran refused, not waiting for Roy's protest before leaving the office.

It only took Noran half an hour by car to reach Sung Medical Hospital, located in the heart of Sol City. When he arrived at Nigel's ward, a nurse stopped Noran's bodyguards from entering.

"Mr. Miles is not in a stable condition. We can only allow one visitor at a time. The rest of you, please wait in the lobby," the nurse stated.

"Wait outside," Noran ordered his bodyguards and entered the ward alone.

The moment Noran stepped inside, he felt a cold chill.

Thick privacy curtains blocked the view of the bed, creating an unsettling atmosphere.

The room was filled with a strange, pungent smell emanating from a large air purifier in the corner. Noran's sense of unease grew with each step toward Nigel's bed.

When he finally lifted the curtain, he saw Nigel seated upright on the bed, his eyes vacant and his face pale.

"Nigel?" Noran murmured, startled by Nigel's zombie-like appearance.

"R-Run... Mr. Lee..." Nigel managed to utter softly, his voice barely a whisper, before his eyes closed, and he seemed to lose consciousness.

Suddenly, Noran sensed a presence behind him.

He dodged just in time as a figure lunged at him from the shadows.

Noran counterattacked, quickly incapacitating the attacker, but another man struck from the side.

Noran defended himself, but something seemed off.

His body felt weaker with each passing second.

The scent in the room...

Noran realized too late that the fragrance was laced with a substance weakening him, sapping his strength, and making him dizzy. He fell to one knee, struggling to stay conscious.

A man in a white robe emerged from the shadows, wearing a gas mask that protected him from the airborne toxin.

"Heh, what a pleasant surprise. To think you're the chairman of Paragon," the man said, his voice dripping with malice.

Noran tried to look up, recognizing the voice behind the mask.

"You..." he uttered, attempting to summon his divine blessing.

But Sigmund was quicker, injecting something into Noran's arm.

"Now sleep. When you wake up, you will become a perfect puppet," Sigmund whispered.

Darkness closed in as the sedative took effect, and Noran's vision blurred.

The last thing he saw was Sigmund's sinister smile.

When Noran finally woke, he found himself tied to a wooden chair. The bindings were tight, digging into his wrists and ankles, leaving no room to escape.

A cloth gag was tied around his mouth, muffling any sound he tried to make.

The room was dim, the only light coming from a single bulb hanging from the ceiling, casting eerie shadows on the damp walls.

His head throbbed, and his body felt weak and feverish as if he were burning from within.

He struggled to free himself, but his limbs were too weak to make a difference. The door creaked open a few moments later, and Sigmund entered the room, his presence filling the space with a sinister aura.

"I see you have woken up, Mr. Kingston... or should I call you Ran Lee?" Sigmund's voice was smooth, almost mocking.

Noran glared at him, his light blue eyes cold and defiant. Before, that icy stare would have made Sigmund hesitate, but now, with Noran in this vulnerable state, it was almost laughable.

Sigmund looked rather delighted. "I can't believe you're the chairman of Paragon. How did you achieve such a great feat at your age? Truly remarkable."

He walked closer, grabbing Noran's chin tightly and tilting his head up to inspect his face. "Such incredible beauty. You'll be the finest puppet in my collection."

His voice was filled with a twisted admiration. "If only you were a woman, I might have considered keeping you tied to my bed, but alas, I'm not into men."

Sigmund sneered and tightened his grip on Noran's face, though he was careful not to bruise it.

He didn't want to damage such a fine masterpiece.

"Let's start turning you into my puppet now."

He channeled his voice of command, his tone dripping with power and authority. "I'm your master. Obey whatever I say from now on."

He watched as Noran lowered his gaze, seemingly submitting to the command.

Believing his power had worked, Sigmund released the gag from Noran's mouth.

But Noran looked back up at him with the same unwavering coldness and spoke in a low, cold voice. "Fuck off."

Sigmund paused for a moment, taken aback by the defiance, before bursting into laughter. "Hahaha! How interesting...!"

He couldn't believe his ability hadn't worked on Noran, despite putting in twice the usual strength.

Noran's physical state was weak, yet he couldn't penetrate his mind to turn him into his puppet.

Sigmund's amusement only grew. "Ha! How else should I break you without damaging your physical appearance? Should I inject you with more poison?"

Sigmund had previously injected a poison he created into Noran's body to weaken him, thinking it would break him more easily.

Even if Noran somehow managed to resist his mind control, he wouldn't be able to escape Sigmund's grasp, as he would die without the antidote.

Noran's eyes narrowed, his eyes gaze icy and unyielding. "You can never control me."

Sigmund chuckled, relishing the challenge. "We have plenty of time. I think I'll slowly take my time to break you."

He sneered, leaning closer to Noran, his eyes gleaming with malice. "In the meantime, I should also visit your pretty fiancée."

The mention of Shuri made Noran's cold facade crack. His eyes widened, and he strained against his restraints, his muscles tensing. "Don't you dare touch her!"

Sigmund was delighted by Noran's reaction. He stepped back, watching the once formidable man struggle. "She must be really important to you. Should I bring her here to see you?"

Noran gritted his teeth, his voice dropped to a deadly whisper. "Touch Rin and I'll kill you."

Sigmund laughed, clearly entertained by Noran's threat. "Kill me? We'll see about that."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a syringe filled with a sinister-looking liquid. With a wicked smile, he grabbed Noran's arm. The needle pierced Noran's skin, and the poison flowed into his veins.

"Now sleep," Sigmund sneered, his voice dripping with malice. "When you wake up, you might get to see your precious fiancée again."

Noran's eyes remained unwavering and cold as he continued to glare at Sigmund. "I won't let you..."

The poison began to take effect, and despite Noran's efforts to fight it, his vision blurred, and his strength ebbed away.

"Rin..." he breathed her name, his thoughts consumed by Shuri.

Then, his body grew heavy, and he felt himself slipping into unconsciousness once more.