Helen’s POV:
On Friday, I went to Fantail Entertainment as scheduled to discuss the due diligence.I estimated that
the meeting would take a long time so I planned for George to fetch me after work and accompany me
to see the therapist.
However, the meeting was over well ahead of time and I had plenty of time on my hands.
The in–house lawyers of Fantail Entertainment were extremely efficient and had a wealth of experience
so the matter flowed smoothly.We had an excellent rapport and we understood each other perfectly.
Therefore, we were able to work out the whole process and the time for the on–site due diligence
quickly.
"Miss Dewar, please keep the acquisition of the company a secret," stressed the head lawyer at the
end of the meeting.
"There are several popular entertainers in our company.If the outside world comes to know that our
company has been acquired, it will cause unnecessary problems for us.Of course, we will also not
divulge this information to the entertainers."
"No problem. As a lawyer, client confidentiality is my priority," I promised.
"Miss Dewar, I hope for pleasant cooperation between us," the head lawyer said, smiling with
satisfaction.
"Same here.I feel very optimistic about this.Good day!" I said, shaking his head.
Since I had concluded the meeting so early, I went to see the therapist by myself.I’d already made an
appointment in advance and had been there several times before, so I was familiar with the process.
"Helen, you look lovely today."
The therapist smiled, recognizing me.She was a very gentle woman.
Every time she saw me, she would compliment me.Her smile was soft, peaceful and welcoming.Her
demeanor immediately put me at ease.
"Yes, I feel great.In fact, I‘ve never felt better!"
I made myself comfortable on the sofa and gave her a brief account of the recent developments in my
life.I thought my recovery was amazing.My mental state had been incapacitating.
Yet, after just a few visits to the therapist, I had recovered almost completely.
"Has anything happened recently to cheer you up?" asked the therapist, wearing her signature smile.
"Yes! Many good things, as a matter of fact!"
I was beaming.My work was progressing well, my mother‘s condition had stabilized, I had married
George and our relationship was improving by the day.
In short, I was in a happy space.
Everything seemed to be looking up for me.
When I thought of George, my heart filled with sweetness and pure love.
The therapist nodded with satisfaction.
"Have you by any chance relocated?" she asked as she turned around and took my last psych report
out of the cabinet to leaf through.
"Yes, I moved to a new place not long ago," I confided in her honestly.
The therapist ran a few more questions by me and then reached a conclusion.
"Helen, I believe you‘ve recovered fully.You don‘t have to come to see me anymore." I looked at her in
utter disbelief.
"Is it true? Are you sure? Have I really recovered?" My eyes glistened.
The therapist nodded and handed me the report of my last psych examination.
"Helen, in fact, you‘ve always been in very good mental health.You probably had those symptoms
because you were hypnotized unconsciously.I was just hazarding a guess.But after our conversation
today, I‘m pretty sure I was right.As for how you were hypnotized, I don‘t have a conclusive answer as I
don‘t have enough information regarding your daily life outside this office of mine."
"Hypnotized? What do you mean?"
My eyes widened in horror.
Who could have hypnotized me? When did this happen? What was their reason to hypnotize me? As
myriads of questions swirled through my mind, I suddenly became nervous and panicky.
"I‘ve asked you this question before, but I‘m going to ask you again.What was your life like before you
started encountering these mental problems? Please take your time and be as specific as you can.Also
think about when you started to feel better.And how did your life change at that time?"
The therapist patiently guided me step by step through what had happened during this time.
The first time I felt better was the night I left home and stayed at the hotel with George.
Later, I felt better and better.
What really turned my mental condition around was moving into the apartment that George bought.So,
was my apartment the source of my illness? Was my deduction correct? When I thought back further, I
found that I had only started experiencing fear after the installation of the intelligent system.
Thinking of this, my heart started beating rapidly.
I was able to connect the dots.
If what I was thinking was true, the whole thing would be too creepy! I was hypnotized without my
permission and my emotions were manipulated to the point of distortion.
"Does anything come to mind?" asked the therapist.
When I retained my composure, I decided not to share my doubts with her.
"Sorry, I can‘t remember.I‘ve already told you everything I could think of."
I knew for a fact that this was by no means a small matter since it involved the products of Zhester
Technology.
Without concrete evidence, I could not say anything reckless to get George‘s company and myself into
trouble.
"Helen, you can‘t just let it go.It‘s illegal to perform hypnosis without qualification and without the
consent of the subject.It has seriously affected your mental state.It could have been detrimental had
you not sought medical help.You should call the police," suggested the therapist.
I was at a total loss and couldn‘t digest the news.
"Will it help?"
I murmured when the therapist finished speaking.She paused thoughtfully for a moment.
"Your case is special and quite different from traditional hypnotic practice.Traditional hypnosis cannot
surpass individual will.In other words, it must be done with the consent of the subject.your case, it was
done against your will and without your prior knowledge.It‘s probably because the hypnotist knows you
well.He or she probably also knows your deepest fears and exploited that information.The hypnotist
has shrewdly amplified your fears through long–lasting and subconscious effects.I‘m afraid even if you
call the police, they will not be able to find evidence.But if you need, I can provide you with the
examination reports of your psychological problems."
After hearing the therapist out, I was certain that my mental issues had everything to do with the
intelligent system of Zhester Technology that was installed in my apartment.
As far as I knew, there were only two people who knew me well and had the access to the system
settings.So was it George or Jane? I forced myself not to overthink and to stay calm.
After saying goodbye to the therapist, I took a taxi to my apartment.
On my way home, I thought about the whole thing.
When the system was installed, George personally supervised the workers, and it was also George
who deleted my account.He had the best opportunity of hypnotizing me.
But what was his motive? If George wanted to hurt me, he would never have risked his life to save me
when I jumped off the subway platform.
But then why did he delete the account? Suddenly, a horrible truth imploded upon me.He must have
known that there was something wrong with the system, so he deleted the account, set the system to
stand–alone mode and took me out of the apartment.He knew everything! But he didn‘t share anything
with me! Why? He was protecting Jane! He knew I was miserable and even attempted suicide.
Yet, when he found out that Jane had bypassed the system and had hypnotized me using the
intelligent system, he still chose to protect her and hide it from me.
After putting two and two together, I felt like someone had thrown me into the dark deep sea.
A chill ran through my bones.
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