"…Please go home, Mister Schneider."
"I will. If you explain what's going on."
"I'm not obliged to tell you." Her hands trembled against the doorframe. "This has nothing to do with you... Please just forget about me and go... I gave you full patent rights to SIBYL… Do whatever you want with it…"
"Cut it off with that bullshit."
Julius stepped forward through the narrow space. "I asked you a question. Did he take her? Did he take Anneliese?"
Silence stretched between them.
Isolde's shoulders sank. Her gaze dropped, teeth sinking into her lower lip hard enough to draw blood.
"…Yes."
The word barely left her mouth.
"Why?" Julius demanded. "He hasn't won the case yet. What gave that bastard the right to—"
"Please go now, Mister Schneider."
"...."
The concern on Julius's face was so bare as he watched Isolde slowly break in front of him.
"Did you just give her to him?" he frowned.
"…Mister Schneider."
"Did he blackmail you? Is that it?"
"…I told you to go!"
