By Zephyria 
A sudden chill swept through his entire body, as if the indoor temperature had plummeted. Chrissy knew what he had to do next. He had already prepared a backup plan in case the first one failed.
Nathaniel Miller was still waiting, but there wouldn’t be much time left. He had to move. His mind, his body, his fingers.
“Mr. Miller.”
Despite everything, Chrissy tried to seize one last opportunity.
“I don’t mind sleeping with you as much as you like. But just one thing—please release Detective Simmons. If you do that, I’ll do anything.”
It was pathetic, but it was the only way he could put it. As he made his final plea with everything he had, Nathaniel, who had been watching in silence, slowly narrowed his long eyes. Just as Chrissy felt him let out a sudden sigh, a low voice flowed from between his slowly parting lips.
“Are you asking me to pay for your services?”
His wide lips twisted into a sneer. Chrissy didn’t appreciate the term ‘services,’ but if it were a ‘price,’ he had already paid it. He had won the bet. Nevertheless, Chrissy had no choice but to speak.
“I promise I will do my best, as much as you are willing to pay.”
He spoke with a glimmer of final hope, but Nathaniel did not react immediately. His narrowed eyes simply slanted a bit further.
“And how do you know what I want?”
His voice carried a strange lingering resonance, more so than usual. Chrissy felt a shiver run down his spine at a truth he had been trying to ignore, but Detective Simmons came first.
“Anything is fine. So please….”
Before saying the next words, Chrissy took a deep breath and let it out.
“It’s fine even if you kill me.”
He was already prepared. As long as Detective Simmons was safe, it was a price he was willing to pay. After all, this was all his fault.
The expression slowly vanished from Nathaniel Miller’s face. More accurately, the manufactured sneer disappeared, leaving him expressionless, as if wearing a mask. The change was so gradual that at first, Chrissy didn’t notice the corners of his mouth dropping or his eyes returning to their normal size. He only vaguely recalled the heat of the cigarette that had tried to burn his eye, thinking that this time it might hurt even more. Just as he suddenly remembered something Alice had said, Nathaniel slowly spoke.
“Is that really necessary? I’m the one who won the bet.”
Speaking in a monotonous tone with almost no inflection, he suddenly moved.
“I’m getting bored. If that’s all you have to say, let’s stop here.”
It sounded as if he were telling him to stop his futile efforts. Watching the man slowly raise his massive frame, Chrissy swallowed hard. As expected, it didn’t work. He let out a short sigh and soon reached out. Seeing the hand grab his jacket, Nathaniel likely thought Chrissy was trying to flee. However, instead of running toward the entrance, he pulled ‘it’ out from his inner pocket.
“Oh dear.”
As the muzzle was aimed straight at his head, a short gasp escaped Nathaniel’s lips.
“To resort to this in the end. I’m disappointed, Prosecutor.”
He looked genuinely let down. A faint shadow cast over his sighing face. Looking up at the man, Chrissy replied bluntly.
“I wanted to entertain you more, Counselor, but as you know, I don’t have much time. I regret having to use such barbaric means.”
Cold sweat dampened his palms. To avoid letting his nervousness show, he gripped the weapon firmly and continued calmly.
“I only want one thing. Release Detective Simmons.”
Nathaniel Miller’s lips loosened.
“How could I possibly dare.”
Nathaniel spoke while raising both hands as if mocking him. He seemed to be acting humble, but in reality, it was nothing more than ridiculing Chrissy. Consequently, Chrissy spat back coldly.
“There’s no way there’s anything you can’t do. It’s a matter of will.”
Nathaniel didn’t bother to deny it. The way he gave a meaningful smirk seemed to prove Chrissy’s words. Chrissy readjusted his grip on the gun and spoke again.
“I will keep my promise. Release Detective Simmons. After that, I’ll do whatever you want. Whether I grovel like a dog or have my throat choked, anything.”
“Shoot.”
He didn’t catch the sudden words at first. While Chrissy blinked in confusion, Nathaniel spoke nonchalantly.
“I said shoot, right now. What are you waiting for? Kill me and take it; my phone is on the bar table.”
He then added mockingly,
“You can take fingerprints from my corpse or use iris recognition, do whatever you like. It’s far simpler than killing a person.”
Killing a person.
His words were highly intentional. Aiming a gun and pulling the trigger are two entirely different things. Anyone hearing those words would be shaken. If it weren’t for the situation, Chrissy would have been too, but conversely, if it weren’t for the situation, he wouldn’t have done this in the first place.
Nevertheless, the tip of the gun trembled. Even though he had already anticipated what would happen next, Nathaniel’s words managed to unsettle him. And that momentary gap immediately flipped the situation.
“Ugh…!”
A startled cry escaped Chrissy’s lips. With unbelievable speed, Nathaniel closed the distance in an instant. In the blink of an eye, Nathaniel snatched the gun from Chrissy and threw it far away. And in the very next moment, Chrissy was knocked to the floor by Nathaniel’s body.
With a loud crash, his head rang. Along with a dizziness that made the ceiling seem to shake, the bright electric lights gouged into his eyes like the sun. That was where Chrissy’s memory ended.
Along with a low whisper:
‘Got you.’
His head hurts. The first thing he felt was an immense pain in the back of his head. He couldn’t stop the groan escaping his lips, but ironically, the sound he made barely woke a part of his consciousness.
“Ugh….”
This time, making a clearer sound than before, Chrissy grimaced. He felt a vibration in his head, but he forced himself to try and open his eyes. After several attempts, Chrissy finally succeeded and could see the world.
…Huh?
The surroundings were strangely dark. There was light, but the lamps only dimly illuminated the area, and not a single ray of sunlight entered. All that entered his blurred vision were dark walls and the bed he was lying on. At the very least, it was certain that the space wasn’t that large. Perhaps similar in size to Chrissy’s studio. After figuring that out, he slowly tried to raise his body, but an unfamiliar sound and sensation stopped him.
With an unpleasant metallic ‘clink,’ something pulled at his limbs. Startled, Chrissy gasped and looked around, only to freeze in place.
He was completely naked, and the only things on his body were chains connecting his limbs to the bedposts and something around his neck.
W-what the…!
Unable to believe the reality, he frantically shook his arms and legs. Each time, the sharp rattling sound and the weight felt on his limbs told him far too clearly that this unbelievable situation was real. As Chrissy turned pale in an instant, a low laugh suddenly echoed in his ears. Startled, he looked back and froze with his eyes wide open.
Nathaniel Miller was sitting in a chair, looking at Chrissy and laughing softly.
“How do you feel, Prosecutor?”
At the mocking question, Chrissy understood the situation instantly. What on earth had this rotten lawyer done?
“You son of a…!”
The moment he tried to spit out a harsh curse, an immense pain suddenly surged through his entire body. Gasping, Chrissy collapsed and remained curled up, unable to move for a while. What? What was that just now? Even after the initial shock subsided, his entire body continued to tremble slightly. As he panted in confusion, Nathaniel spoke from above him.
“A dog that barks at any time is welcome nowhere.”
He continued in his usual leisurely tone, sounding as if he were enjoying himself.
“Collars that deliver electric shocks when one makes loud noises were effective for correcting habits, but their use was banned as animal cruelty. However….”
Nathaniel paused as if suppressing a laugh before adding,
“I wonder how it would be for a human.”