Leonard didn''t seem worried about her leaving. She was free to move about and could go anywhere she pleased. But after walking the entire length of the beach, Ste didn''t see a single boat or a dock. On this ind surrounded by an endless blue sea, there was no way for her to escape, and Leonard was confident she wouldn''t even try.


    After several hours of exploring, Ste finally confirmed that she could never leave the ind on her own. A chill washed over her.


    She turned to Leonard, attempting to reason with him. "Leonard, even after three months, I won''t fall for you. You should stop wasting your time on me. You know it''s impossible between us."


    But Leonard replied, "You never know until you try. The oue isn''t decided yet."


    Ste said, "You worked for years to get everything you have now. Isn''t it a shame to lose it all like this? I heard you had a tough life before. You, more than anyone, should understand the importance of power."


    "The whole point of fighting for power was so I could live the life I wanted," Leonard said. "But now I realize this isn''t the life I want at all. To keep my position, I have to constantly eliminate the obstacles in my way. I know what they say about me out there."


    He looked at Ste. "When you''re in this position, there are things you have to do. You''ve reached a certain level yourself now. You should know how many obstacles are on that path, how many people want to drag you down to hell. Being merciful to your enemies is like handing them a knife to stab you with. Most of the time, kindness isn''t repaid with gratitude, but with them taking even more advantage. People always go after the easy targets. If you can''t keep them in line, you''ll be the one they control."


    "So you think it''s right to live by ''survival of the fittest'' and treat human life so carelessly?" Ste challenged.


    "He who fights monsters eventually bes one himself," Leonard said. "Not everyone can stay true to themselves on this path."


    "You''ve hurt so many people, many of them innocent. Don''t you ever feel any regret?" Ste asked.


    "The only thing I regret is ever hurting you," he replied.


    Ste knew he felt no remorse for the terrible things he had done. He only regretted hurting her because he loved we now if he didn''t, he would probably regret not having been more ruthless with her back then.


    As if sensing her thoughts, Leonard added, "Maybe I was born to be the viin."


    Ste fell silent.


    After a full tour of the ind without finding any means of escape, Ste had no choice but to return to the house. She inspected it and found nomunication devices fany kind not even a television oraputer.


    Leonard had seen through her intentions from the start but hadn''t called her out on it, simply letting her search. It was only when she had finished her thorough inspection that he spoke. "I''ve already made arrangements for everything on the outside That Swhy there are nomunication devices on the


    ind. I didn''t even bring my phone."


    A cell phone was the easiest thing to track. Leonard wasn''t foolish enough to make such a basic mistake.


    He said to Ste, "Three months isn''t that long. Just think of it as a job. When you leave here in three months, you''ll have everything you want ahead of schedule. Isn''t that a good deal?"


    Ste didn''t answer.


    Leonard looked down at her, a subtle curve to his lips.