[Have you heard the news?]
[Yeah, I did!]
[Is this about Ashii Perez?]
[It is!]
[I heard she got expelled again!]
[This is the third time!]
[I admire her for being the record breaker!]
[What crimes had she committed this time?]
[Her family must be looking for another school again!]
[Good for her!]
[Her family is very wealthy. It's not a problem to find a new school to pay for and build facilities.]
[Like the usual.]
Ashii stared at the group chat of several wealthy ladies. She created a fake account to track her own news. It was not a secret in the upper society that she had been expelled three times since she turned sixteen. The schools never gave her an explanation for why she got kicked. And a letter would be sent to her door from time to time.
Her phone rang. It was a call from his father.
"Dad?"
"I received the news. Don't be afraid, I'll find a new school for you. They just don't understand how outstanding you are."
"I got it, Dad."
"I transferred some allowance to your account. You can have some fun or shop where you want. Let the negativities around you disappear."
"Thank you, Dad."
"I'll be flying abroad later, make sure to take care of yourself and call your brothers if you encounter a problem."
"I will, Dad. Have a safe trip."
"Love you, Sweetie!"
"Love you, too, Dad."
The call ended.
Ashii sighed and stared at herself in the mirror.
My brother is right. I need to stop worrying about the future. I don't need to please other people. And I don't need to fit in.
Ashii closed her eyes and fell asleep.
Blood dyed the floor.
Ashii was standing at the center of the gymnasium. The place was unfamiliar to her. The dim lighting and the deafening silence of the place gave her goosebumps. She stared at the open door, it felt as if it was inviting her to venture beyond.
She did as her gut told her to.
She walked out the door. But what she saw was endless darkness. The sky was also dyed crimson. Thunder and lightning erupted from the sky, as if a heavy downpour was coming to wash the blood. She scanned the area.
Then her eyes fell on the cloaked man.
He was standing on the field.
She thought he was alone, but she started to realize that a pile of dead bodies was scattered at his feet. Blood dripped from his hands. And something about him radiated fear.
"I killed them all to protect you."
Ashii suddenly heard the man's voice as if he were whispering in the air. Ashii was too scared to answer, so she stayed still and observed the man.
The man spoke again. "Was my love not enough to satisfy you?"
But this time, Ashii could clearly see that a woman was standing opposite him. It was impossible for Ashii to see the man's face because his back was facing her. But she could recognize the woman, even when she was standing so far from her.
That pink-haired woman...
The woman suddenly gazed back at Ashii and smiled.
Ashii awakened from the dream. Her fingers were trembling, as if she had just experienced her greatest fear.
What was that?
A week later, Ashii was sent to a boarding school in Zenea City. The city was too far from the Imperial Capital, and it would not be easy for Ashii to fly back and forth. Ashii's father decided to buy a residential house a few blocks from her new school. The house was completely furnished and livable when Ashii arrived.
A butler, a head maid, a driver, a gardener, and three other servants were living with her in the new house. Ashii felt welcomed when she arrived, but something about the people his father hired made her cautious. It was an instinctive feeling.
The house was massive. A thousand square meter villa, with a pool, a garden, and a court enclosed in concrete fences. She also found it incredible that there were two usable greenhouse facilities for growing vegetables and fruits. There were also several fruit trees in the yard.
The air is fresher than I thought. The neighbors are silent. And I could barely see people in broad daylight. Dad might have chosen this place for me to gain some peace.
Ashii went inside the house. Everything was painted white and cream. There was a piano on the second floor. Her hands were itching, so she decided to play.
It has been so long since she last played. She used to be a competitive student with several famous masters, but some bad experiences made her isolate herself from the crowd. The sound of a well-tuned piano echoed in the neighborhood. The melody was so beautiful that it unexpectedly awakened several people.
The head maid, Devina, left her job and went out. The butler was also gone, and Ashii did not realize she was the only person in the house. She was so engrossed in playing the piano that she failed to notice several pairs of eyes eyeing her house on all sides.
A deep voice suddenly whispered.
"Stop playing."
This awakened Ashii, and her hands froze. A different kind of killing intent was coming her way. She hurriedly rolled to the side, and a bullet hit the chair she was sitting on earlier. Ashii rushed to her room as fast as she could and locked the door.
Her heart was beating rapidly, and she almost thought she would have a heart attack. She dialed Butler Xian's phone, but it was only ringing. She dialed Devina's phone, yet no one answered. She could hear the noise of gunshots fired outside her house, but she did not have any weapons at hand.
Why would I check the situation outside if I don't have anything to protect myself?
Damn it!
What kind of place is this?
Ashii suddenly noticed footsteps moving toward her room.
Are they...