C18 Don't Get Involved with Other Men.

The evening sky was fading to dusk as Helmer sat in his car, a cigarette smoldering between his fingers, its glow waxing and waning with the breeze. Without realizing it, he had been parked outside Edna's building for over thirty minutes.

Whenever he was with that other woman, thoughts of Edna would inexplicably flood his mind.

The lights in Edna's room were off, leaving Helmer to wonder if she was asleep or simply not home. As he approached her building, he found himself reluctant to go upstairs.

Extinguishing his cigarette, Helmer was about to drive away when a black sedan caught his eye. The license plate struck a chord of familiarity with him.

It was Burke, the eldest son of the Francis family...

Helmer circled the vehicle, yanked open the passenger door, and there was Edna, suddenly in his line of sight.

His fists clenched, Helmer pounded the steering wheel in frustration. Wasn't she supposed to be sick? Why was she out with Burke? Was he really that important to her?

Seated in his car, Helmer couldn't make out the words exchanged between Burke and Edna. He swung his door open and strode toward her, his face shadowed under the dim streetlights, his chiseled features set in a grim expression, his piercing gaze fixed on Edna.

Edna, catching the sound of footsteps, glanced back. At first, she didn't pay much mind, but then she stopped short. Helmer?

"Why are you here?" she asked, her surprise evident. Her cheeks were flushed from the alcohol.

Edna stood beside Burke, and Helmer's irritation was palpable. "Come here," he commanded tersely.

Edna's brow furrowed at his lack of civility.

"Mr. Andrews, you may be her boss, but she's off the clock today. You have no say over her now," Burke interjected, stepping in front of Edna protectively.

He had never been in favor of Edna joining the Andrews Group, but she had made her choice, and he had to respect it.

Burke had assumed that, given Helmer and Edna's past acquaintance—not to mention the respect owed to Dalton, Helmer's father—Helmer would treat Edna with some degree of decency. But he was wrong.

"It's not for you to decide whether I can intervene," Helmer retorted, his face a mask of barely contained rage, his disdain for Burke's gaze on Edna driving him to the brink of madness.

Seeing Edna's indifference, Helmer's glare burned with fury, as if his eyes alone could erode her very being. "Come here, Edna. I won't ask a third time."

There was a veiled threat in Helmer's tone. Edna was painfully aware of her current role; she was Helmer's lover. It was common knowledge in Jongvale that Helmer had a notoriously short fuse. He had once nearly strangled her in a rage for merely complimenting Emit.

"Do you believe I'd go so far as to bring you his head?" he had once challenged her.

Edna didn't want to drag Burke into her troubles, nor did she want him to discover her entanglement with Helmer. She chewed on her lower lip, wrestling with her thoughts. After a moment's pause, she resolved to approach Helmer.

Noticing her compliance, the anger in Helmer's eyes eased slightly. But as Edna stepped forward, Burke suddenly caught her wrist. "Edna."

Burke's brow was furrowed with concern. The Edna he remembered was always slightly defiant, yet now she seemed to cower before Helmer.

"You can leave the Andrews Group behind; come work with me," Burke urged, his voice a whisper in Edna's ear, sending her heart into a flutter.

She was aware of Burke's kindness, but her employment wasn't hers to decide. She longed to escape the Andrews Group, but Helmer wouldn't permit it. He held something over her, keeping her firmly in his grasp.

"There are some people you can only look at from a distance, untouchable and unattainable," Helmer's icy voice resonated from behind her.

He advanced a few steps, seized Edna's wrist, and yanked her to his side. Caught between the two men, Edna found herself in an excruciatingly awkward position.

"Burke, I'm okay. Please, go back," she implored, taking a deep breath. Between Helmer and Burke, the latter was certainly the more approachable.

"He won't harm me," Edna reassured Burke with a glance, though her heart pounded with anxiety.

After an uneasy standoff, Burke cast a final, worried look at Edna before turning to leave. The black sedan pulled away, disappearing into the distance.

For the second time, when faced with a choice between Helmer and Burke, Edna had chosen Helmer.

The last encounter was on the day of the auction.

"Did you two go on a date?" Helmer's gaze darkened as he looked at Edna, his temper flaring to its peak. She could beam with joy around Burke, yet with him, her face remained a blank slate.

"Cat got your tongue? Speak up."

In Helmer's mind, they had definitely been on a date, but he still yearned to hear it from Edna herself.

"It was just a meal together."

"Do you have feelings for him?"

Helmer had delved into the relationship between Burke and Edna the day after they met. They had become acquainted in Paris, and their rapport was notably close. The investigation labeled them as good friends, but Helmer was skeptical that such intimacy between a man and a woman could be purely platonic.

"Release me, you're hurting me."

Edna's discomfort was evident as she attempted to withdraw her wrist. Just yesterday, he had gripped her so tightly that it left marks, and now his grasp was just as forceful. Her wrist might very well break under his hold.

Noticing her anguish, Helmer recalled Ada's words about Edna's frail health, which prompted him to slightly relax his grip.

"Answer my question."

Edna tried to deflect, but Helmer was relentless, determined to get a straight answer.

"No, Burke and I are simply good friends."

"You call him 'Burke'?" Helmer's intensity surged like a beast on the brink of madness, contemplating how to conquer his prey. "And what do you call me?"

"Mr. Andrews."

Edna's response was straightforward. She referred to Bryant as 'big brother' and had once tried to address Helmer as 'second brother' seven years ago, only to be rebuffed with a curt, "Who's your brother?" Since then, she had adopted the housekeeper's formality, addressing him as Mr. Andrews—a practice she had maintained for seven years without feeling it was inappropriate.

"I'm warning you, steer clear of other men."

"Mr. Andrews, you're overstepping. You know the only reason I agreed to you, but beyond that, we are entitled to our separate lives."

"Separate lives? Your life better not include any other men."

Helmer spoke through clenched teeth, his frustration palpable. Not insisting that Edna sleep with him every day was already his final concession.

He seized her arm, flung open the car door, and unceremoniously deposited her onto the passenger seat. Helmer then circled the vehicle and climbed into the driver's side.

The chill from outside was biting, but the car's warmth enveloped Edna, causing her to shiver involuntarily. "Mr. Andrews, I want to go back to bed. I'm exhausted," she said.

"Were you tired when you went out with Burke?" he asked pointedly.

"I've already said, it wasn't a date!" Edna reiterated, mindful of Helmer's short fuse and her own need to avoid setting him off.

Yesterday it was Emit, today Burke—Helmer had reached his limit.

Ignoring her protest, Helmer suddenly pinned her against the car seat, claiming her lips with a domineering kiss.

Startled by his abrupt move, Edna froze, her eyes flickering with a mix of emotions. In Helmer's gaze, she recognized an intensity she had never encountered before, even stronger than before.

Edna could tell what Helmer was about to do next...

"Mr. Andrews, please—don't..."